Omeiza Ajayi

The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has reacted to the delisting of its Governorship Candidate in Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, saying although the electoral umpire may have acted based on the legitimate orders of a court of competent jurisdiction, its action was premature as the party had already filed an appeal for a stay of execution.

“The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to 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 All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate’s name, Chief Timipre Sylva”, said party Spokesman, Felix Morka on Wednesday evening.

While he conceded that “this action by INEC may not be unconnected with the High Court judgement of October 9, 2023, which disqualified Chief Timipre Sylva as Candidate of our Party”, Morka said the Candidate and Party had promptly appealed that judgment and brought other processes seeking a stay of the judgment’s execution.

He said; “Recognizing the extreme urgency of the matter, the Court of Appeal granted an order of accelerated hearing of the matter now fixed for definite hearing on Friday, October 27, 2023. INEC is a party in this matter and has been served with all relevant filings and orders in this matter.

“Delisting our Candidate, in the circumstances, as INEC has done, is clearly premature, and preempts the outcome of the valid appeal in the matter. This flies in the face of INEC’s established practice of awaiting the decisions of appellate courts before taking action that may be prejudicial to the interest of the appellants.

“Furthermore, removing our candidate from the list of governorship contestants in Bayelsa would foist a situation of helplessness on the appellate court, the Candidate and our Party should the appeal succeed. We urge INEC to withdraw its amendment under reference in the interest of fairness.

“In the meantime, we appeal to the good people of Bayelsa State, especially our teeming members and supporters, to remain calm while the judicial process runs its full course. We have confidence that our candidate will be victorious both at the Court of Appeal and at the polls”.