The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed the names of the Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva, and his deputy, Joshua Maciver, from the list of qualified candidates for the November 11th Governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The amended list which was uploaded on the commission’s website on Tuesday was signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony.
According to Oriaran-Anthony, the action of the commission was in obedience to court orders on the lists, served on the commission.
It has been confirmed that a Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified the APC candidate from the November election in Bayelsa State.
The judgement, delivered in a suit filed by Demesuoyefa Kolomo, contested the eligibility of the former Bayelsa State Governor to participate in the off-season elections.
Justice Donatus Okorowo, in his ruling, emphasised that allowing Sylva to contest again would violate the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, given that he had been sworn in twice and served as governor for five years.
INEC, in its statement, explained that it initially published the list of candidates for the Bayelsa State Governorship election on June 9th in accordance with the provisions of Section 32 of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.
The Commission further clarified that after this publication, they received a court order pertaining to the APC’s candidate nomination for the 2023 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
Additionally, the Commission emphasised that, in accordance with the provision of Section 287 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, INEC is obligated to enforce the court’s orders.
