Real reason court disqualified Sylva from Bayelsa governorship election

The Federal High Court in Abuja has made a significant decision to disqualify Chief Timipre Sylva, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from participating in the upcoming Bayelsa State gubernatorial election set for November 11.

Justice Donatus Okorowo, delivering the ruling last night, cited a clear violation of the 1999 constitution as the primary reason for disqualifying Sylva. The judge emphasized that Sylva’s previous terms as governor, where he was sworn in twice and served a cumulative five years, breached constitutional provisions.

Key to the ruling was the observation that allowing Sylva to run in the upcoming election would surpass the constitutional limit of eight years for a governor’s tenure. Justice Okorowo referenced the Supreme Court case of Marwa vs Nyako to underscore the constitutional restriction preventing an individual from being elected governor more than twice. It was noted that Sylva had already been elected as governor on two occasions, hence rendering him ineligible for another term.

The ruling aimed to uphold the constitutional framework, ensuring adherence to the specified limitations on gubernatorial terms as outlined in the nation’s supreme law.