The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, has been disqualified from running in the Bayelsa State election on November 11 by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Monday saw the announcement of the judgment by Justice Donatus Okorowo.

Okorowo decided that Sylva would violate the 1999 constitution as modified if he were to run for office again after serving as the state’s governor for five years and being sworn in twice.

The judge ruled that Sylva was ineligible to participate in the upcoming November election because, should he prevail and be sworn in, he would have served as governor of the state for more than eight years.

Okorowo argued that the country’s constitution’s authors intended for no one to be elected governor more than twice and that the parties to the lawsuit agreed that Sylva was elected twice while quoting the Supreme Court decision Marwa vs. Nyako.

The judge claims that the Supreme Court determined in the Marwa v. Nyako case that no one can broaden the scope of the constitution.

According to this argument, if Sylva was permitted to run for office again, anyone could do the same.