Ahead of the governorship election in Bayelsa State, a socio-political organisation, under the umbrella of Truth Movement of Nigeria, has called for the disqualification of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Timipre Sylva.
The group said, Sylva, having been elected twice was no longer elligle to run for the office again.
It stressed that is was not inline with the constitution for Sylva to run for the same office three times.
The Deputy National Chairman of TMN (South-South zone), Chief Tam Jaja, and its Deputy National Chairman (South-East zone), Chief Chris Udensi, who made the observation at a press briefing in Abuja, said the issue had been settled by the Supreme Court in the case of Marwa vs Nyako.
The movement said that in this case, Sylva won both the first election that was nullified as well as the rerun election, thereby being elected twice as governor of Bayelsa State.
The TMN said, “On the state of the law as contained in the constitution and interpreted by the Supreme Court, Chief Timipre Sylva has been elected twice as the governor of Bayelsa State and is therefore not qualified to contest the said election as the candidate of the APC.
“Otherwise, he would be seeking to serve as the governor of Bayelsa State for more than the maximum period of eight years allowed by the constitution. The APC does not, therefore, have a qualified candidate in the said forthcoming governorship elections.
“Sylva was one of the parties to that case in the Supreme Court; it was that case which terminated his tenure as the governor of Bayelsa State. He is thus bound by the said decision of the Supreme Court in that case especially as he was the one who won the nullified election and the subsequent rerun election.
“The Supreme Court, therefore, clearly recognised the earlier nullified election of Timipre Sylva. Thus, his success in the rerun election was obviously his second election and incidentally the above quoted provision of Section 182 (1) (b) of the constitution has barred him from contesting again, having been previously elected twice.”
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