A Federal High Court has disqualified former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva from contesting in the upcoming gubernatorial elections on the grounds of exceeding term limits.
Justice Donatus Okorowo issued the ruling on Monday night in a lawsuit filed by an APC member challenging Sylva’s candidacy as unconstitutional.
The court determined that allowing Sylva to run again after serving two separate tenures from 2007-2012 would violate constitutional provisions limiting governors to two four-year terms.
Justice Okorowo cited a Supreme Court precedent that nobody can circumvent the constitution’s intent to bar more than eight cumulative years in the governor’s office.
Sylva’s candidacy on the APC ticket was therefore struck down given his previous five years as governor. The judiciary asserted that permitting him to contest and potentially serve another four years would overstretch term limits.
The former governor’s eligibility has been clouded in controversy since his nomination. Critics argued his candidacy violated both the letter and spirit of the constitution’s safeguards on excessive tenure.
Monday’s ruling underscores the integrity of constitutional checks on power. It represents a significant setback for the APC’s ambitions in the hotly contested Bayelsa polls next month.
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