The decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday, fortnight ago, to affirm Timipre Sylva, former minister of state for petroleum resources, as the candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Saturday’s governorship election in Bayelsa, reversing an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court, which had earlier disqualified him, sets up what promises to be a tough battle in the state.
Sylva, 59, who previously served as governor of Bayelsa State from 2007 until the Supreme Court sacked him in 2012, after he had won reelection in 2011, was initially disqualified by the lower court, which argued that having been sworn in twice as governor, which is the limited number set by the constitution, he was no longer eligible to contest.
