The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has been barred from running in the November 11 election by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Donatus Okorowo issued the decision on Monday.
Okorowo concluded that Sylva, who had been sworn in twice and served as governor for five years, would violate the 1999 constitution as modified if allowed to run again.
The judge ruled that Sylva was ineligible to participate in the next November election because he would have served as governor of the state for more than eight years if he won and was sworn in.
While quoting the Supreme Court case of Marwa versus Nyako, Okorowo contended that the drafters of the country’s constitution declared that no one should be elected governor more than twice, and that the parties to the matter agreed that Sylva was elected twice.
According to the judge, the Supreme Court held in the case of Marwa vs Nyako that no one can enlarge or limit the scope of the constitution.
It was ruled that if Sylva was allowed to run in the next election, he could run as many times as he wished.
