…as Appeal Court dismisses another suit seeking his disqualification
Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, dismissed a fresh suit seeking to exclude the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Timipre Sylva, from Saturday’s governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The three-man panel of justices held that the suit was not justiciable, in bad faith and statute-barred, having been filed outside time.
Justice Binta Zubar, who read the unanimous judgment by the panel, agreed that the allegations that Sylva took the oath of office as governor twice could not stand in the face of law because the first one had been invalidated by competent courts.
Justices Zubar in the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1052/2023, also dismissed the allegation that the APC primary held on April 14, which produced Sylva as flagbearer, contravened provisions of the law.
The panel observed that the evidence adduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission and APC pointed to the facts that all legal steps were taken in the conduct of the primary election.
An APC member, Hon Isikima Ogbomade Johnson, had brought the suit challenging the primary that produced Sylva.
Sylva, however, argued that he got the highest votes of 52,062 to come first, while the appellant came fourth with 584 votes behind Joshua Maciver (2078 votes); David Perewomini Lyon (1584 votes); Ongoebi Etebu (1277 votes); and Daumiebi Festus Sunday came last with 557 votes.