June 30, (THEWILL) – The candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa, State, Timipre Sylva, said he has only been elected once as governor of the State.
Sylva, the immediate-past Minister of State for Petroleum, refuted the allegations that he was previously elected as Bayelsa governor on April 14, 2007, and May 24, 2008.
The former minister, in a counter affidavit he personally deposed to and filed by his lawyer, Adelani Ajibade, before Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court, in Abuja, made the claim in response to the originating summons filed by Chief Demesuoyefa Kolomo, a member of the APC.
Kolomo had prayed the court to order INEC to delete Sylva’s name from list of candidates contesting the November 11 governorship poll.
In his originating summons, Kolomo asked the court to determine “whether having regard to the indisputable fact that Sylva occupied the office of governor of Bayelsa from May 29, 2007 to April 15, 2008 and May 27, 2008 to Jan. 27, 2012, he is qualified to contest and be elected for another four years term in view of Section 180(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
Reacting in a counter affidavit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/821/23 dated and filed June 27, Sylva insisted he had only been elected once as the state’s governor, insisting that there was no election in 2007.
“I have only occupied the Office of the Governor of Bayelsa State on one occasion. I was elected as the governor of Bayelsa State on 27th May, 2008.
“Contrary to Paragraph 5 of the affidavit (attached to the originating summons), I know that by virtue of the Court of Appeal judgment referred to, that is now reported as Amgbare Vs. Sylva (2009) 1 NWLR (Pt. 1121), there was no election in Bayelsa State in 2007″, he said.
According to him, the provision of Sections 180 (2)(a) and 182 (1) (b) is not applicable “to me in this circumstance and cannot validly and legally disqualify me from contesting election into the office of governor of Bayelsa State.”
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