The court also slammed a N1m fine on the appellant.
The appellant Mrs Isikima Johnson contested the APC primary and came a distance fourth in the election.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election she challenged Sylva’s victory at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
She prayed for an order to disqualify him from being allowed to participate in the coming November governorship election in Bayelsa State having been elected into governorship office twice and taking the oath of office and oath of allegiance twice.
She also claimed that the April 14 primary election that produced Sylva was illegal and unlawful, and contravened the guidelines of the party.
Justice Inyang Ekwo had in his judgment on September 26 dismissed the suit for want of merit and substance.
Johnson in a suit marked CA/ABJ/CV/1052/2023 appealed against the judgement.
But the Court of Appeal led by Justice Binta Zubar affirmed the dismissal of the suit.
She held that the suit was not only unjustifiable but brought in bad faith by the appellant against the respondents
Zubar said that there was overwhelming evidence that the primary election was legally conducted.
“She said, “From the uncontroverted independent report of INEC, it was clear beyond any doubt that a valid primary election was conducted by APC and monitored by the electoral umpire as required by law.”
Justice Zubar also held that the case of the appellant was statute-barred barred having been instituted outside the 14 days allowed by law as a pre-election matter
The PUNCH had also reported that a suit by a member of the APC in the state, Demesuoyefa Kolomo, to disqualify Sylva from contesting was equally dismissed on October 31.
In a unanimous decision by a three-man panel, the court held that the litigant who initiated the suit that led to Sylva’s disqualification lacked the locus standi to do so.
