Bayelsa APC Elders Refute Call for Sack of Amnesty Programme Administrator 

 Olawale Ajimotokan

 Elders and prominent leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State have denied calling at any time for the sack of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Maj-Gen, Barry Ndiomu (Rtd).

At a news conference in Yenagoa on Tuesday, they said that those behind the call are not members of the APC Elders Forum in the state.

Senator John Kojo Brambaifa, who spoke on behalf of the forum, accused the non-existing group of being sponsored to carry out the hatchet job, adding because of the self-inflicting pain they were going through they decided to make Ndiomu their target while playing the victim.

“It has come to the knowledge of the members of APC in Bayelsa West Senatorial District that in the very recent past, precisely, about a fortnight ago, there is a self-seeking news item making rounds in the media, purportedly signed by amorphous APC Elders forum in Bayelsa State, calling for the immediate sack of Major General Barry Tariye Ndiomu as the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

“In the said news item circulating in several social media platforms, the said anonymous forum gave some nebulous reasons as the grounds for the call for the sack of the amnesty boss.

“We wish to state unequivocally and unambiguously that there was no time APC Elders forum in Bayelsa State took a decision to call for the sack of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, as they always form an integral part of the various fora that make up the party in the state.

“The members of APC from Bayelsa West Senatorial District maintain that the present PAP helmsman has created far-reaching impacts in the programme and has contributed significantly to the improvement of the party in the state with the sound reform measures so far taken to reposition the programme that was gradually cascading to a moribund state.

“The APC members express shock over the show of ingratitude by such a pseudo platform, as they failed to appreciate the progressive ideas initiated and implemented by the Interim Administrator to revamp the interventionist agency,” Brambaifa said.

The Bayelsa APC elders maintained that they are proud of the achievements of Ndiomu in only ten months in office and will continue to support him to succeed.

They also commended his effort in introducing worthy and creative ideas like the Cooperative Scheme for ex-agitators, noting that it will produce the desired result for the benefit of all Niger Deltans.

The Bayelsa West APC stakeholders noted that the establishment of a Cooperative

Society will encourage hard work and deepen the rehabilitation and reintegration of the ex-agitators in consonance with the original intention of the programme.

They urged the APC led federal government and the general public to disregard the said malicious  news item, saying it was borne out insatiable appetite and greed for personal gains and deliberate show of discontentment towards the phenomenal improvement of the activities of the agency.

They expressed total support for the reform measures designed to reinvigorate the activities of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and called on the federal government to retain Ndiomu as the head of the PAP in order to complete the ongoing reforms that will encourage multiplier effect in the Niger Delta with the concomitant peace that follows.