The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the amended list of candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the November 11 election.
Sylva, through his lawyer, Mr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, said in a letter to INEC that the commission’s decision to exclude his name from the list was prejudicial, as he had already appealed the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which disqualified him from the race.
Raji argued that it was wrong for INEC to release the amended list while the appeal was still pending, as it could prejudice the outcome of the case.
He also pointed out that the parties to the suit in which Sylva was disqualified were not candidates in the election and, therefore, had nothing to lose.
Raji urged INEC to reconsider its decision and to wait for the outcome of the appeal before taking any further action.
“We know that the Commission has always been consistent in a matter like this, to wait until the entire appellate process and proceedings are completed, one way or the other,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has scheduled a hearing for Friday in the appeal filed by Sylva.
Sylva is seeking to overturn the judgment of the Federal High Court, which disqualified him from the election on the grounds that he was not validly nominated by the APC.
The APC is also appealing the judgment, arguing that the High Court erred in law by delving into the internal affairs of the party.
