The All Progressives Congress national secretary has upbraided the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for delisting its candidate, Timipre Sylva, ahead of the November 11 governorship election.
INEC’s decision was in compliance with a judgment by Justice Donatus Okorowo, which stated that allowing Sylva to contest again would breach the provisions of the 1999 Constitution since he had been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as the governor of the state.
In a statement released on Wednesday night, Barrister Felix Morka, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, acknowledged that INEC’s action was in compliance with a court order. However, he claimed that delisting Sylva, “as INEC has done, is clearly premature and preempts the outcome of the valid appeal in the matter. This goes against INEC’s established practice of awaiting the decisions of appellate courts before taking actions that may be prejudicial to the interests of the appellants.”
The APC requested that INEC review its action, further claiming that removing its candidate “from the list of gubernatorial contestants in Bayelsa would create a situation of helplessness for the appellate court, the candidate, and our party should the appeal succeed.”
The statement reads in part: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) has been informed of the updated list of gubernatorial candidates for the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which excluded the name of Chief Timipre Sylva, our APC candidate.
“This action by INEC is likely linked to the High Court judgment of October 9, 2023, which disqualified Chief Timipre Sylva as the candidate of our party. Our candidate and party promptly appealed that judgment and initiated other processes to seek a stay of the judgment’s execution. Recognizing the extreme urgency of the matter, the Court of Appeal granted an order for an accelerated hearing of the matter, which is now scheduled for definite hearing on Friday, October 27, 2023. INEC is a party in this matter and has received all relevant filings and orders.
“Delisting our candidate, as INEC has done, is clearly premature and preempts the outcome of the valid appeal in the matter. This contradicts INEC’s established practice of waiting for appellate court decisions before taking actions that may prejudice the appellants’ interests.
“Moreover, removing our candidate from the list of gubernatorial contestants in Bayelsa would create a situation of helplessness for the appellate court, the candidate, and our party should the appeal succeed. We urge INEC to withdraw its amendment in the interest of fairness.
“In the meantime, we appeal to the people of Bayelsa State, especially our numerous members and supporters, to remain calm while the judicial process unfolds. We are confident that our candidate will be victorious, both at the Court of Appeal and at the polls.”
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