By Ayodele Oni
Reprieve has come for Timpre Silva as the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja reinstated him as the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11 election in Bayelsa State.
The three-member panel, in a unanimous judgement on Tuesday, held that the trial court, which nullified Sylva’s candidature lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit filed by an APC member, Demesuoyefa Kolomo, having not been an aspirant in the primary election that produced the ex-minister of petroleum.
The court also awarded the sum of N1 million in favour of the appellant in the first appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CV/1060/2023 between APC and Kolomo.
The court equally awarded the sum of N1 million in favour of Sylva in the appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CV/1061/2023 between Sylva vs. Kolomo and two others.
Sylva’s appeals were against the October 9 judgement delivered by Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court in Abuja, which disqualified Sylva as candidate in the November 11 governorship election.
Kolomo, who described himself as a registered voter, had, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023 filed on June 3, prayed the court to delete Sylva’s name from the list of candidates vying for the election, having taken an oath of office twice as governor of the state.
A recent list of governorship candidates cleared for the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had omitted Silva’s name, a situation which generated mixed reactions.
 in the November 11 election in Bayelsa State.){kind=link}