Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State have asked the party’s National Executive Committee to disqualify Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva from the April 14, 2023 primary election for the state governorship. In a petition to the national leadership, the card‑bearing members argued that Sylva’s refusal to resign his ministerial post before seeking the governorship violates the party’s constitution.
The petition, signed by representatives from more than 40 wards across the Sagbama, Ekeremor, Ogbia, Kolokuma/Opokuma, and Southern Ijaw local government areas, was addressed to the APC national chairman, secretary, legal adviser, and national organising secretary. It was titled “Request for disqualification of Chief Timipre Marlin Sylva, Minister of State Petroleum Resources from participating in the APC Bayelsa State gubernatorial primaries for April 14, 2023 or any other date.” The signatories—Doubra Kpoku, Nelson Gbeinbo, Charles Fyneman, Ogbel Joseph, Dressman Isowo—threatened legal action if the party failed to act.
The petition states: “We are card‑carrying members of the APC, Bayelsa State Chapter, from various wards in different local government areas, and we refer to the above‑captioned matter for your urgent attention and action to avoid our party being ridiculed in the forthcoming governorship elections slated for November 2023 or any other date.” The grounds for objection are twofold. First, on 25 March 2023, when Sylva presented himself for screening at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja International Hotel, he had not resigned his ministerial position, contrary to Article 31(iii) of the amended APC Constitution, which requires a thirty‑day resignation before primaries. The petition notes that other office‑holders, such as Chief Rotimi Amechi and Chief Godswill Akpabio, resigned before the party’s presidential primaries.
Second, the petition highlights Sylva’s previous tenure as governor of Bayelsa State in 2007‑2008, invoking Section 180(2A) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). It warns that his candidacy could generate controversy and jeopardize the party’s prospects in the November 2023 elections.
The petition concludes: “In view of the above, we request that Chief Timipre Marlin Sylva be disqualified from the primaries by the Screening Panel. If this petition is not considered on its merits and Sylva is not disqualified, we will have no option but to seek redress in court. The All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State must get it right this time around.”
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