A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that Timipre Sylva, the candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), is not eligible to run for the Bayelsa governorship elections.
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The court’s decision is based on the fact that Sylva has previously held the office of Bayelsa Governor for two separate terms, and if he were to be elected again, he would serve for more than eight years in total, which would violate the constitution’s limitation of a maximum of two terms for a governorship candidate.
A member of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Demesuoyefa Kolomo had in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023 asked the court to determine whether Sylva was qualified to contest in the election, having occupied the office of governor of Bayelsa from May 29, 2007 to April 15, 2008 and May 27, 2008 to Jan. 27, 2012.
However, in a judgement delivered on Monday night, Justice Donatus Okorowo held that allowing Sylva to contest again would breach the provision of the 1999 constitution having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as a governor of the state.
The judge also said Sylva would spend more than eight years in office if allowed to participate in the election and eventually win.
Citing the case of Marwa vs Nyako at the Supreme Court, Okorowo noted that the drafters of the country’s constitution stated that nobody should be voted for as governor more than twice.
He added that the parties to the suit agreed that Sylva was voted into office two times.
Okorowo stated that the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Marwa vs Nyako that nobody can expand the constitution or its scope. So, if Sylva is allowed to contest the next election, it means a person can contest as many times as he wishes.
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