Timipre Sylva: What You May Not Know About APC Candidate in Bayelsa
- APC candidate in the Saturday governorship election in Rivers state, Timipre Sylva, is a strong candidate being a former governor and minister
- Sylva has been reported to have a robust political network in the state, which is likely to favour him in the Saturday election
- However, the former minister of petroleum is going into the election with a divided house with many APC loyalists who believe his popularity is diminishing
Legit.ng journalist Bada Yusuf is an accomplished politics and current affairs editor, boasting over seven years of experience in journalism and writing.
Yenagoa, Bayelsa - Timipre Sylva, the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Saturday, November 11, governorship election in Bayelsa, is one of the leading candidates to watch out for.
This is due to the fact that Sylva was a former governor of the state and recently served as a petroleum minister under the administration of the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari.
Source: Twitter
Sylva's emergence as APC governorship candidate
A federal high court sitting in Abuja had earlier disqualified Sylva from contesting in the Saturday governorship election before the court of appeal reinstated him.
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On Monday, October 9, Justice Okorowo, in his ruling, said Sylva had been sworn in on two different occasions and has governed Bayelsa State for five years and, therefore, cannot be sworn in for the third time.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) subsequently deleted his name from the list of candidates contesting the governorship election.
However, on October 31, the ruling of the high court was overturned by an appeal court in Abuja.
In reversing Sylva’s disqualification, a three-member panel of the appellant court held that the trial court which nullified Sylva’s candidature lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit filed by Demesuoyefa Kolomo, who was not an aspirant in the primaries that produced Sylva as the APC governorship candidate.
Why Sylva may win on Saturday
Sylva has a wide political network in the state being a former governor and an immediate past minister at the federal level.
The former governor had earlier bragged that:
“I am already known as a former governor. So, there is nothing new in this for me,” he said.
Why APC Sylva may lose election
Sylva is in the race with a divided house, unlike his counterpart in the PDP, Governor Douye Diri, who enjoyed the massive support of his party.
The former minister is said to have mishandled the grumbles that surfaced when he became the party’s flagbearer.
Some APC loyalists in the state also believed that the popularity of Sylva in the state is diminishing.
BayelsaDecides: Poll prediction, other facts to know about PDP Governor Diri
Legit.ng earlier reported that Governor Douye Diri will be testing his strength on Saturday alongside other candidates on Saturday, November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
The governor has been predicted to win the election following the endorsement by CAN and the CellHub poll that favoured him.
However, Diri's failure to utilise the 13% oil derivational fund to curb the multidimensional poverty in the state has been weaponised against him.
Source: Legit.ng
