Guber Election: APC Wades Into Bayelsa Power Struggle
The All Progressives Congress on Monday, September 14, waded into the ongoing power struggle for the Bayelsa state governorship ticket with the aim of building a consensus around the former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, as its candidate.
As part of efforts to boost its chances of victory against the two PDP controlled states, the leadership summoned all its governorship aspirants in Bayelsa and Kogi states to a meeting in Abuja, This Day reports.
The meeting with governorship aspirants from Bayelsa state is coming ahead of the primary election scheduled for next Saturday, September 26, where two popular aspirants, the former Governor of the state, Chief Timpre Silva and Alaibe are shaping up for a contest.
It was also gathered that the plan to persuade Silva to back Alaibe has met a brick wall as Silva has gone ahead with intense campaign and mobilisation of delegates.
The meeting with stakeholders from the two states (Kogi and Bayelsa) which was held behind closed door had in attendance the national chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun; deputy national chairman (South), Olusegun Oni; national organising secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso among other national executives of the party.
Sources at the meeting disclosed to journalists that the party leaders would prefer the former NDDC boss, who according to them has “better chances of winning the context due to his solid political structure in Bayelsa State since 1999 till date.”
The leaders, according to sources, are said to favour a strong candidate who could easily defeat the incumbent state governor who has the support of the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, his wife, Patience, as well as some past governors of the state.
READ ALSO: Idris Wada Wins PDP Primary In Kogi
“Apart from the fact that they feel he cannot win in the state, the leaders also think the former governor is yet to settle with the anti-graft agencies over alleged misappropriation of funds when he was the governor of the state,” the source said.
Also gathered was that the meeting was called following complaints by some of the aspirants that a former governor who is also aspiring had assembled all delegates in one of the hotels in Omokwu area of Rivers state, out of their reach ahead the primaries.
It was also gathered that all the 19 APC governorship aspirants attended yesterday’s meeting held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, including Silva.
It was also learnt that the meeting with the Kogi state party leaders and aspirants was in response to the anticipated move by the PDP to try to spring surprise yesterday, September 14, in its choice of governorship candidate.
Sources said the party was nervous that PDP might want to play the divisive card by using a candidate from the areas campaigning for power rotation thus the need to rally all its aspirants to work with its candidate, Audu Abubakar.
Meanwhile, the national leadership of the APC yesterday made moves to appear neutral in its meddling in the affairs of the Bayelsa state chapter of the party. The national leadership lifted the suspension purportedly placed on some members of the party on the order of the state chairman.
A statement issued by the national chairman, Oyegun, confirmed that the Bayelsa state delegates list to be used for the governorship primaries was intact, saying the action of the party was necessitated in order to have a conducive atmosphere for the primaries.
Debunking rumours that the delegates list is being tampered with, Oyegun assured that the list is secure in his custody at the headquarters.
The statement signed by the deputy national publicity secretary of the APC, Comrade Timi Frank in Abuja, said the party’s leadership had summoned a meeting with all the aspirants to settle a rift between them and the Bayelsa state executive of the party.
“Following reports of threat and intimidation of members of our great party in Bayelsa state in view of the party governorship primaries scheduled for September 19, 2015, and a meeting by the national leadership of the party with the 19 aspirants under the platform of the party in Abuja today.
“After carefully listening to their complaint against the state executive, the National Working Committee has decided to affirm the existing delegates list to be used for the primaries, to annul any suspension whatsoever placed on any member of the party in the state and to direct the APC party executive at all levels to maintain strict neutrality before and during the primaries process,” Oyegun said.
In a related development, a chieftain of the APC in Bayelsa state has been blowing hot. Chief Perekeme Kpodo has accused the party’s chairman in the state, Tiwei Orunimigbe of anti-democratic practices. He said the chairman has compelled some delegates to vote for Chief Timpre Sylva, a former governor of the state.
However, one of the aspirants, a cleric, Mrs. Tonye Apraela has dismissed the claim that the party has endorsed any aspirant contrary to speculations in some quarters.
She said: “Nobody has endorsed anybody. It is his followers who endorsed him. I wanted to make that correction, but thank God I have the privilege now. The APC has not endorsed anybody, so, nobody should be afraid in the state, because we are all going out for the primaries.”
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