Party Executive: Sylva, Not PDP to Blame for Bayelsa APC Crisis

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State deepened wednesday as the embattled executive committee members of the party noted that rather than blame the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ex-Governor Timipre Sylva should hold himself responsible for the divisions within the APC.

The APC leadership in the state spoke after principal party officials comprising the beleaguered Chairman, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, his deputy, Eddy Julius, and the Secretary, Marlin Daniel, met with local government party chairmen in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, wednesday.

Daniel, who addressed journalists after the meeting, said that their grouse with Sylva, the party’s candidate in 2015 governorship election, was the list of federal appointments he submitted unilaterally.
The secretary alleged that the former governor submitted the list solely without consulting the executive members of the party in the state.

“Of recent, there has been problem between Chief Timipre Sylva, my humble self, the chairman of the party, the deputy chairman and other members of the party, including local government and ward chairmen.

“We think there has been so much propaganda, blackmail and we felt it is wise for us to let the public know what transpired. The party demanded for withdrawal of a list that was submitted by Sylva solely for appointment because we did not know how he came up with that list.

He explained that Sylva acted solely, adding that many of the names were not members of the party.

“Under normal circumstance, Sylva was supposed to liaise with the leadership of the party before submitting that list. He submitted the list without the party knowing those that were on the list.

“We heard this information, so we went to him last Wednesday and confronted him, he never denied. He said, ‘Yes, it is just for some other things’ and we told him it was not right sir.

“We took the party to Bayelsa. He was in Abuja while we took the party to the state. If anything is coming, at least we should know as leaders of the party and when we inquired to know the names of people in that list, we discovered that half of the people there were not even registered members.

“In fact, some of them are not even politicians, we do not know them – we do not know where they were coming from,’’ he alleged.

The Secretary explained that the executive members pleaded with Sylva to tamper with the list to take care of those that suffered for the party.

‘’In fact, at a point we pleaded for one appointment so that those that had suffered with the party could manage that, he refused. In fact, he said we should not rock the boat and that we should look for vacant places and come so that we can pursue it together.”

He carpeted Sylva for alleging that Governor Seriake Dickson was the one sponsoring them, describing the allegation as unfounded and without any iota of truth.