The immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, will, on September 28, know whether or not he is qualified to contest the next governorship election in Bayelsa State scheduled for November 11.
Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday fixed the date to deliver judgment in a suit filed by an aggrieved member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Demesuoyefa Kolomo.
Kolomo, in the suit in which APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are defendants, prayed the court to, among others, disqualify Sylva as the party’s candidate for the election.
He urged the court to determine whether Sylva is qualified to contest in the election, having allegedly occupied the office of governor of Bayelsa May 29, 2007 to April 15, 2008 and May 27, 2008 to January 27, 2012, in view of the provision Sections 180 (2)(a) and 182(1)b) of 1999 Constitution.
Before fixing the date for judgment, Justice Okorowo took arguments from lawyers to the parties.
Arguing the plaintiff’s case, Prof. Abiodun Amuda-Kannike (SAN) faulted the arguments by lawyers to Sylva and the APC – Babayemi Olaniyan and Denis Otiotio – urging the court to hold that the suit was properly filed, that his client has the locus standi, that the suit was not statute barred and that the court has jurisdiction to hear and determine it.
Amuda-Kannike urged the court to grant his client’s prayers and, among others, order INEC to delete Sylva’s name from the list of candidates for the election.
Olaniyan had contended that Sylva was never elected as Bayelsa State governor on two occasions.
He averred that the Appeal Court had, in an earlier judgment, nullified the election that produced Sylva as Bayelsa governor in 2007 and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.
The lawyer agreed that his client is a former governor of Bayelsa State but insisted that Sylva had only been elected governor just once.
He prayed the court to dismiss the suit.
Otiotio also urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial cost.
Source: barrister.com
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