Sylva’s Lawyer Writes INEC, Seeks Immediate Withdrawal Of Upgraded Candidates’ List

Ahmed Raji, SAN and lawyer to Timipre Sylva has written to the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) demanding that the amended candidate list for the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State be withdrawn immediately.

Sylva, the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, accused INEC of being biased in a letter submitted to INEC through his attorney.

Sylva’s name was removed from the electoral umpire’s amended list of candidates participating in the election, which was released today.

This comes after Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court in Abuja disqualified the former Bayelsa Governor on October 9.

The Judge stated that allowing Sylva to run for re-election after being sworn in twice and serving five years as governor would violate the 1999 constitution as amended.

He also decided that Sylva was ineligible to contest in the November election because, if elected, he would serve as governor of the state for more than eight years.

Sylva, dissatisfied with the ruling, petitioned the Court of Appeal through his lawyer, Raji, to overturn it.

While the appeal is pending, INEC produced a list of candidates for the election that did not include the names of the APC candidates.

Sylva wrote to INEC through his lawyer Raji, requesting that the amended list be withdrawn immediately.

He said it was astonishing for that INEC published such a publication while the judgment upon which the commission acted upon had already been appealed against at the Court of Appeal.