The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled September 28 as the date for delivering judgment in a suit seeking the disqualification of Timipre Sylva from the list of candidates contesting the Bayelsa November 11 governorship election.

The suit was filed by Demesuoyefa Kolomo, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Donatus Okorowo fixed the date after Abiodun Amuda-Kannike, SAN, counsel for Mr Kolomo, and Mr Sylva’s lawyer, Babayemi Olaniyan, including that of the APC, Denis Otiotio, adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the matter.

On June 13, Mr Kolomo sued Mr Sylva, the immediate-past Minister of State for Petroleum, APC and INEC as first to third defendants, respectively.

Mr Kolomo requests the court to order INEC to remove Mr Sylva’s name from the list of candidates for the upcoming Bayelsa election.

He asked the court to determine whether Mr Sylva was qualified to contest in the election, having occupied the office of governor of Bayelsa from May 29, 2007, to April 15, 2008, and May 27, 2008, to January 27, 2012.

In a counter affidavit, Mr Olaniyan argued that the suit lacked merit, stating that Mr Sylva had been elected governor only once and that the Appeal Court had nullified the 2007 election.

He asked the court to dismiss the suit.

Corroborating Mr Olaniyan’s argument, Mr Otiotio, who appeared for APC, urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial cost.

Meanwhile, another judgment is expected to be delivered on September 22 in a separate case filed by an APC aspirant in the primary election, as announced by Justice Inyang Ekwo.

(NAN)