Timipre Sylva, an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor, has been removed from the list of candidates for the Bayelsa State governorship election on November 11 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The name of Sylva’s running mate, Joshua Maciver, was likewise omitted from the list that was revised and posted on the INEC website on Tuesday.
The column for the names of the APC candidate and his ruining mate was left blank on the amended list, which also contained the candidates for the Imo election, with the words “court order” written on it.
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Rose Oriaran-Anthony, the secretary to the commission, signed the new list.
According to Anaedoonline.ng, the Federal High Court in Abuja barred Sylva from the November 11 Bayelsa state governorship election on October 10.
Sylva would violate the 1999 constitution as amended if permitted to run again because, if he wins the 2023 election, he would have unintentionally served for more than eight years as the governor of the state after being sworn in twice and in office for five years.
The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP)’s Uchechukwu Ishiodu and Ahumbe Chiazor were listed by INEC as candidates for governor of Imo and vice president, respectively.
Oriaran-Anthony stated that the commission received a court order regarding the nomination of the APC candidate for the Bayelsa governorship election after publishing the final list of candidates for the 2023 Bayelsa State Governorship Election on June 9 in accordance with Section 32 of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Election. This is why the commission felt the need to publish the amended list.
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“By virtue of the provision of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Commission is bound to enforce the orders of the court 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 pursuant to the orders of court served on the commission,” Oriaran-Anthony said.
Oriaran-Anthony explained that a court order was the basis for INEC’s decision to allow PRP and its candidates on the updated list for the Imo governorship election.
“After the said publication, the Commission was served with an Order of Court for the inclusion of the PRP and its candidate on the list of candidates for the 2023 Imo State governorship election.
“By virtue of the provision of Section 287 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the commission is bound to enforce the orders of the court on the nomination of candidates by political parties in the State.
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“The Amended list of candidates in respect of the 2023 Imo State Governorship election is hereby amended pursuant to the Orders of the Court served on the Commission,” she said.
It should be recalled that the Federal High Court, Owerri judicial division, directed INEC to add the name of the PRP governorship candidate in the list of nominated candidates that was already published on the INEC website, among other things, in Suit No. FHC/OW/CS/35/2023 – PRP & Anor v. INEC.
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