Ahead of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary in Bayelsa State this weekend, some stakeholders within the party have asked Chief Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, not to interfere in the conduct of the primary to avoid chaos.
The stakeholders, under the umbrella body called Bayelsa APC Vanguard for Peace, said in a statement on Thursday in Yenagoa that there were signs of disunity in the party already, counselling the minister as the leader of the party against imposition of his preferred aspirants.
In a statement endorsed by Prince Mike Egberi, coordinator of the group and made available to Straightnews, the group faulted Sylva for recent developments in the state chapter of the party.
They accused Sylva of not showing proper leadership, hence the decision of some party leaders to go to court.
“If care is not taken, what happened in Rivers and Zamfara states may happen in Bayelsa State. This was how it started in those states and now, the APC does not have elected representatives in those states. This is what happens when one man wants to be in charge of everything.
“The appearance of David Lyon on the list of aspirants came because Sylva wants to dictate what is going on in the party. We will advise that he should provide leadership and ensure that every stakeholder is carried along.
“A situation where some people are under-rated because of the feeling that they are not important is not good for our party. Sylva should sit down with Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and move the party forward. The macabre dance being displayed now will only destroy this party and give room to outsiders to take advantage of our disunity and bury the party, just like they did in Rivers and Bayelsa states.
“We are aware that Lyon is Sylva’s aspirant. We are also aware that he brought some other persons to contest. But he hates the guts of other contenders who are seeking the same office but without his blessing. He should be a father to all and remain neutral as the leader that he is. Anything short of this will destroy the party.”
The APC stakeholders said it was shameful and worrisome that with just a few days to the party primary, there was no clear direction on whether the primary will hold and which method would be adopted.
Egberi said “we have it on good authority that it is only one person that insisted on the use of direct primary method in selecting the party’s flagbearer. Virtually all members preferred indirect primary, being the method to be used in Kogi.
“So, our issue is this; why is it okay to use indirect primary somewhere else and then in Bayelsa State, another method is preferred. The party is not fair to us and this must be considered in the interest of our collective interest.
“We are not comfortable with this whole thing; our party leaders must, as a matter of necessity, find a way around this impending calamity that is about to befall our party. We cannot afford to lose Bayelsa state because of the selfish interest of somebody or a group of persons.”
