Business

Bayelsa Guber: Why Court Disqualified APC Candidate, Sylva

Published

3 years ago

October 10, 2023

Editor

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has disqualified the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the governorship election billed to hold in Bayelsa State on November 11, Mr. Timipre Sylva.

The court, in a judgement that was delivered by Justice Donatus Okorowo, held that Sylva, who is the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, was not eligible to participate in the gubernatorial contest having already spent five years in office as governor of the state.

The court stressed that since the 1999 Constitution, as amended, okayed a maximum tenure of eight years for a governor, should Sylva contest and win the impending election, he would exceed the constitutional threshold by spending a total of nine years in office.

Justice Okorowo held that uncontroverted evidence that was adduced before the court, established that Sylva had earlier taken the oath of office as Bayelsa state governor, on two occasions.

Relying on a Supreme Court decided case-law in Marwa Vs Nyako, the judge held that the constitution could not be stretched to elongate the statutory period that someone could serve as a governor in the country.

Consequently, he declared that Sylva was not a valid candidate for the forthcoming Bayelsa state governorship poll.

The court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to remove his name from the list of candidates for the election.

The judgement followed a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023, which was brought against Sylva by a chieftain of the APC in the state, Mr. Demesuoyefa Kolomo.

The plaintiff had in the suit he filed on June 13, prayed the court to among other things, determine: “Whether having regard to the indisputable fact that Sylva occupied the office of governor of Bayelsa from May 29, 2007, to April 15, 2008, and May 27, 2008, to January 27, 2012, he is qualified to contest and be elected for another four years term in view of section 180(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

Upon the determination of the legal question, the plaintiff sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 182(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Sylva, was not qualified to contest the election to the office of the governor of Bayelsa on the APC platform or on any other political party’s platform in the election.

He further sought an order directing INEC to remove Sylva’s name from the list of the contestants into the office of the governor of Bayelsa on the APC platform or any other political party’s platform in the 11 November election or any other time for that matter as he was not qualified to contest the said poll.

The plaintiff told the court that he is not only a member of the APC, but also a registered voter in the state.

He averred that the ex-Minister was first elected to the office of governor on April 14, 2007 and assumed the said office on May 29, 2007, and was in the said office until April 15, 2008 when his election on April 14, 2007, was set aside by the court and he was removed from office.

Cited as 1st to 3rd defendants in the matter, were Sylva, the APC and the INEC, respectively.

Meanwhile, Sylva had in his defence, argued that he had only occupied the office of the governor of Bayelsa on one occasion, adding that he was elected into office on May 27, 2008.

In a counter-affidavit he filed before the court, Sylva contended that no valid election held in the state in 2007.

“I have only occupied the office of the governor of Bayelsa state on one occasion. I was elected as the governor of Bayelsa State on 27th May, 2008.

“Contrary to paragraph 5 of the affidavit, I know that by virtue of the Court of Appeal judgment referred to, that is now reported as Amgbare Vs. Sylva (2009) 1 NWLR (Pt. 1121), there was no election in Bayelsa State in 2007,” he added.

The erstwhile governor maintained that it was within his constitutional and legal rights to participate in the governorship contest.

He argued that sections 180 (2)(a) and 182 (1) (b) of the Constitution was not applicable in his case, a position that Justice Okorowo dismissed in his judgement.

The court held that it found merit in the case of the plaintiff.

Business

Why We Sited Our Multi-Billion Naira Automobile Firm Branch in Benin – Skyewise Group CEO

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

Dr. Elvis Abuyere, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Skyewise Group, an automobile firm, has explained the reason for establishing a branch of the company in Benin City, the Edo State capital, describing the ancient city as “a growing economy full of enormous potential for vibrant youth.”

He added that the company considers Edo State one of the most interesting states, noting that the decision aligns with its long-term vision.

Abuyere, who spoke in Benin on Monday while taking journalists on a tour of the new automobile facility, said:
“We started very small — from Abuja to Lagos and now Benin. It is a joy and privilege for us to have completed this amazing regional office with Skyewise Group.”

According to him, beyond the automobile business, Skyewise Group is in Benin to invest in real estate, logistics, youth empowerment, and credit management. “Aand also to lend our support to what the Edo State Government is doing, knowing the fact that there is an agenda,” he added.

The young CEO urged youths in Nigeria, particularly those in Edo State, to embrace entrepreneurship, stressing that “we believe it is the future of Africa,” especially Nigeria.

He said Nigeria stands as the giant of Africa and that its youth must take bold steps in the entrepreneurship landscape.

According to Abuyere, to ensure Edo youths actualise their entrepreneurial potential, the company has prepared soft loans to help them start businesses, adding that Skyewise Group is not limited to automobile operations.

He said: “More importantly to us is youth empowerment. We want our youth to be empowered, and this is where the Skyewise Foundation comes in.

“We believe the future of Africa is entrepreneurship, and that future lies in the hands of the young people of Nigeria. We want to empower them to stand the test of time, build something meaningful, and reduce unemployment and insecurity in our land.

“I believe we need to begin taking bold steps by refining the mindset of our young people. We need to give them a sense of belonging and direction.

“We have been addressing the liquidity gap in society by providing microloans to support businesses in our environment and in Benin City.”

When asked why he chose Benin City for the multi-billion naira automobile firm, Abuyere noted: “I think this is the first automobile showroom in Edo State where you can see a car lifted from the ground floor to the first floor and beyond.”

Business

JUST IN: Nigerian Filling Stations Reduce Fuel Price After Hike

Published

3 days ago

May 2, 2026

Editor

Nigerian filling stations reduced their Premium Motor Spirit price on Saturday, barely 24 hours after the hike.

Checks by DAILY POST showed that Ranoil, Empire Energy, and other filling stations in Abuja adjusted their petrol pumps to N1,365 and N1,375 per litre respectively, down from N1,440 per litre on Friday.

This means that petroleum marketers dropped their fuel price by N65 and N75 per litre. DAILY POST reports that the move was to attract patronage from customers.

Recall that three days ago, Nigerian filling stations had raised their petrol pump price to between N1,365 and N1,440 nationwide after Dangote Refinery and depot owners increased ex-depot prices to around N1,275 and N1,290 per litre.

According to DAILY POST, while the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and MRS Bovas filling stations raised their petrol price to around N1,365 per litre, others adjusted theirs above N1,440 per litre.

However, with the latest fuel price reduction by Ranoil and Empire Energy, the majority of filling station outlets now dispense petrol between N1,365 and N1,375 per litre.

This development comes as the ripple effect of crude oil prices continues to impact Nigeria’s domestic fuel price.

Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude rose to $114 and $105 per barrel before dropping to $108 and $101 after the filing of this report.

Business

Dangote Refinery Hikes Petrol Price

Published

7 days ago

April 29, 2026

Editor

Dangote Refinery has increased the ex-depot price of petrol by N75.

The refinery announced the increase on Wednesday, hiking the the price from N1,200 to N1,275 per litre.
In the same way, coastal prices have gone up to N1,215 per litre.

This adjustment amid Brent crude trading at $114.80 per barrel marks a 3.15% increase.

DAILY POST reports that Brent crude has increased to $115 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate rose to $103 per barrel on Wednesday.