More trouble for the All Progressives Party Governorship candidate in Bayelsa, Timipre Sylva, as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, removed his name from a list qualified candidates for the November 11 gubernatorial election.
INEC on Tuesday released the amended lists of candidates for the Bayelsa and Imo States governorship elections and uploaded the same on the commission’s website.
The Secretary also signed the list to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
According to NAN, the column for the names of the APC candidate and his running mate was left blank with “court order” remarks.
The Secretary, Oriaran-Anthony, in the amended document, explained that the commission’s action was in obedience to court orders on the lists served on the commission.
She stated that the commission published the final list of candidates for the 2023 Bayelsa State Governorship Election on June 9 following the provision of Section 32 of the Electoral Act, 2022, and the timetable and schedule of activities for the election.
However, she noted that the commission was served with a court order regarding the nomination of the APC candidate for the Bayelsa State governorship election.
“By the provision of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the commission is bound to enforce the court’s orders on the nomination of candidates by political parties in the state.
“The amended list of candidates in respect of the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election is hereby amended under the orders of court served on the commission,” Oriaran-Anthony said.
“The amended list of candidates in respect of the 2023 Imo State Governorship election is hereby amended pursuant to the orders of court served on the Commission,” she said.
Recall that the Federal High Court, Abuja, on October 10, had disqualified Sylva from participating in the state governorship election.
The court ruled that Sylva, having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as the Bayelsa State governor, would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again.
The judge also declared that Sylva was not qualified to run in the November poll because if he won and was sworn in, he would spend more than eight years in office as state governor.