Perry Tukuwei, the Director of Media and Publicity to Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Bayelsa State November 11 governorship election, firmly asserted that his principal’s disqualification is unconstitutional.
The suit was filed on June 13, 2023, by Mr Deme Kolomo, a member of the APC.
However, Tukuwei argued that Kolomo was a non-member of the party and did not contest the party’s governorship primaries, rendering his suit invalid.
He upheld that the suit was filed outside the 14-day constitutional window for pre-election matters.
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Adding to the irregularities, according to MD, the suit was filed in Abuja, in direct violation of a Supreme Court directive mandating that all pre-election matters be heard in the state where party primaries took place.
He also stated that the High Court judgment was a calculated move by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Douye Diri to prevent Sylva from participating in the election.
His statement read:
“Sections 29 and 84 of the 2022 Electoral Act state that only persons who contested primaries of a political party that has the locus standi to file a pre-election matter to challenge the qualification of the party’s candidate in any election hence the suit filed by one Chief Demesuoyefa Kolomo who is not a member of the APC and didn’t contest our party’s governorship primaries do not have the locus standi to sue in the matter.
“Section 285 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution enjoins any aggrieved party to file election matter within 14 days of the occurrence of the event, but this case was filed on the 13th of June 2023 whereas INEC published the names of the governorship candidates for Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi on May 12.
“Thus, the case was filed outside the constitutional prescribed 14 days, thereby making the case statute barred.
“It is surprising to the party and Bayelsa people that the court ignored the fact that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to sue and went ahead to give judgement in their favour.
“To perfect their sinister act, the case was filed in Abuja. Is Abuja Bayelsa?
“Subsequently, the Bayelsa APC can smell the coffee and sinister move by Gov. Douye Diri to go through the back door, which is his usual practice having realised that our governorship candidate is coasting home to victory already following unrivalled acceptance across the state.
“Our dear people of Bayelsa, fear not! This clandestine strategy by the PDP should not deter the resolve to elect Sylva as the next Governor of Bayelsa, we will win.”
