By Johnson Kubor
Chief Timipre Sylva, is the architect of his own political misfortunes!
While many agreed that his administration did not make the desired impact, Sylva must know that his greed to have illegally stayed in office beyond his statutory 4 years was his greatest undoing.
The discerning minds should ask as to why or how he spent almost 5 years as governor instead of 4 years.
The law eventually caught up with him in 2012 as he attempted to “steal” one year to his administration.
He was truly advised against the idea by the likes of the former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, to jettison such a legal move. But greed overtook him!
Amaechi, was almost in a similar situation, though his issue was not caused by re-run but lost almost five months in office to a political issue during the PDP Primaries. While Amaechi waved the five months aside, Timipre Sylva, ignorantly approached the court and that is the reason for the Off-Cycle Governorship Election in Bayelsa State today.
Sworn-in on May 29th 2007, but the Governorship Tribunal much later nullified his election and ordered a re-run, which he eventually won.
He had enjoyed the privilege of the office for several months before the court/tribunal judgment and was merely out of the seat for about 3 months before the rerun.
A man who only missed three months out of office dragged INEC to court and instituted a case to argue that his mandate should start running from 2008 and not 2007.
But INEC in their defence insisted that since Sylva was the same beneficiary of the rerun, he could not erase the first year of his administration from public records.
Four other Governors of Kogi, Adamawa, Cross River and Sokoto, had the same re-run issue.
The Supreme court in January 2012 eventually ruled that the two lower courts were wrong in their earlier judgment and that in fact, the tenure of the governors since elapsed May 29, 2011 and ordered immediate conduct of a fresh election.
Sylva and the four governors failed to submit themselves to INEC for the 2011 general election when President Goodluck Jonathan, won his fresh Presidential Election.
By the time Sylva was then ready for re-election, his many political woes started for obvious reason of alleged non-performance.
Analysts were of the view that his alleged poor performance could have been overlooked in 2011 if he had participated in the general election but greed to illegally stay in office beyond the statutory four years overtook him. That’s covetousness!
That was how greed dealt a great blow on him. Such opportunity appears lost and gone! Any governorship ambition of Sylva is indeed doomed!
God neither supports nor rewards such illegal acts.
Sylva had taken oath of office twice and served for almost 5 years. He tried to arm twist the law and undermined the democratic system in the country.
As he is seeking re-election today, the odds are clearly against him. You certainly cannot eat your cake and have it! He cannot be rewarded for an alleged “thievery.”
He may even need to refund all salaries and allowances earned between May 29, 2011 and January, 2012 when he illegally occupied the seat of Bayelsa State Governor.
Public spirited individuals, concerned Bayelsans and Civil Society Organisations may have to institute a legal case against Sylva for the ruthless subversion of democratic principles.
Johnson Kubor, writes from Yenagoa
