A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Demesuoyefa Kolomo has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delete the name of Timipre Sylva from the list of candidates contesting the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa.
He made the appeal to Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court, Abuja in a suit filed by his lawyer, Prof. Abiodun Amuda-Kannike (SAN) .
Kolomo had sued Sylva, APC and INEC as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively, in the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023 dated and filed June 13.
He asked the court: “whether having regard to the indisputable facts that Sylva was elected to the office of Governor of Bayelsa on two previous occasions; April 14, 2007, and May 24, 2008, he was qualified to contest the Nov. 11 election in view of Section 82 (1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“Whether having regard to the indisputable fact that Sylva occupied the office of Governor of Bayelsa May 29, 2007, to April 15, 2008, and May 27, 2008, to Jan. 27, 2012, he is qualified to contest and be elected to the office of Governor of Bayelsa for another four years term in view of Section 180(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Kolomo sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 182(1)\(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Sylva was not qualified to contest the election to the office of the governor of Bayelsa on APC’s platform or on any other political party’s platform in the election scheduled for sometime in November or any other time for that matter.
He further sought an order directing INEC to remove Sylva’s name from the list of the contestants for the office of the Governor of Bayelsa on APC’s platform or any other political party’s platform in the Nov. 11 poll or any other time for that matter as he was not qualified to contest the said poll.