INEC obeys court orders, removes Timipre Sylva’s name from amended Bayelsa gubernatorial candidates’ list

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has taken action in compliance with court orders, resulting in an amended list of candidates for the Bayelsa and Imo governorship elections. Notably, the name of Timipre Sylva, along with his running mate, Joshua Maciver, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), is no longer included in the Bayelsa election list.

The updated list, which has been uploaded to INEC’s website, bears the signature of INEC’s secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony. In the section allocated for the names of the APC candidates and their running mate, there is a conspicuous absence with a note indicating “court order.”

In the case of the Imo governorship election, INEC has included the names of Uchechukwu Ishiodu as the governorship candidate and Ahumbe Chiazor as the running mate for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

Ms. Oriaran-Anthony, the INEC official, explained that these actions were taken in response to court orders. She noted that INEC had initially published the final list of candidates for the 2023 Bayelsa governorship election on June 9 in accordance with the Electoral Act of 2022 and the election timetable. Subsequently, INEC received a court order regarding the nomination of an APC candidate for the Bayelsa governorship election.

Under the provision of section 287 of the Nigerian Constitution, INEC is obligated to enforce court orders concerning the nomination of candidates by political parties in the state. Thus, the amended list of candidates for the 2023 Bayelsa State governorship election is in compliance with the court orders served on the commission.

In the case of the Imo state governorship election, INEC had also previously published the final list of candidates following the stipulations of the Electoral Act of 2022 and the election timetable. However, the commission was subsequently served with a court order mandating the inclusion of the PRP and its candidate on the list. Similar to the situation in Bayelsa, INEC complied with the court order and amended the list accordingly.

Notably, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court had disqualified Timipre Sylva from participating in the Bayelsa governorship election. This ruling, delivered by Justice Donatus Okorowo, cited Sylva’s previous terms as governor, which would have exceeded constitutional limits if he were to contest and win the upcoming election.

In Imo, the Owerri Division of the Federal High Court issued an order in favor of the PRP candidate, requiring INEC to include their name among the nominated candidates. These actions highlight INEC’s commitment to upholding court decisions and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.

Credit: NAN