GOV POLL: BAYELSA APC SPLITS OVER TICKET
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Ahead of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, indications have emerged that the party has been split into camps of aspirants.
A chieftain of the party in the state, Chief Francis Perekeme Abadi, who made the claim in a statement on Wednesday called on the national leadership of the APC to take urgent steps to check what he described as the “excesses of some governorship aspirants” or else the party risk losing the December 5 election to the ruling party.
Abadi, who is a staunch supporter of Timi Alaibe, a governorship aspirant, specifically accused the state chairman of the APC, Chief Tiwe Orunimigha, of openly supporting the aspiration of the former governor, Timipre Sylva, over undue access to the delegates list for the forthcoming primary election.
He warned that should the party failed to nip the ensuing crisis in the bud it could lead to an implosion which, he said, would rubbish all they have laboured for over time.
”This warning is coming against the backdrop of glaring division and needless bickering amongst the various aspirants and their supporters over the purported hijack of delegates list by former governor, Timipre Sylva.
“It is unfair for our chairman to show clear bias by supporting a particular aspirant and handing over the delegates list to him as a favoured aspirant. This is worrisome when it is clear that his favoured aspirant stands no chance of winning in any election given the fact that he has loads of political and criminal baggage to contend with”, he stated.
According to him, the moment Sylva emerged as flag bearer, the APC may collapse because it would amount to “contradiction of interest and purpose”.
He further used the situation in Kogi State as an example to buttress his claim, stating that while the outcome favoured former governor, Abubakar Audu, he was denied the ticket for his past misdeeds in corruption charges.
“This possible scenario does not augur well for our collective interest as a party and except something is done urgently by the national leadership, the outcome will be disastrous”, he said.