Date Published: 03/30/10

Bayelsa in tug-of-war over Madueke

WITH the dust over alleged massive fraud in Bayelsa State yet to settle, there were strong indications on Monday in Yenagoa, the state capital, that all was not well with the choice of Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, former Minister of Solid Mineral by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan as one of the 32 nominees for the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF).

The state at the moment is polarised along pro and anti-Allison-Madueke camps. The former minister hails from Yanaka community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state. She was appointed a minister two years ago by the ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua.

A group that calls itself Movement for Genuine Democracy in the state has said that the renomination of the Epie born female politician as a minister was not acceptable to them. They are claiming that Mrs. Allison-Madueke did not represent the best interest of the state in the past two years.

As the Senate began the screening of the nominees yesterday, the group threatened to stage a peaceful protest against her nomination should the Acting President fail to rescind his decision on the issue.

The anti- Allison-Madueke group which is led Ebiowei Amatari, a community chief, in a another statement in Yenagoa called on the Acting President to revisit the nomination. In their earlier statement, they vowed not to accept her since according to them, ''there are other qualified persons who can represent the state creditably''.

Amatari, the spokesperson for the group, is claiming that the ex-minister in the past two years failed to justify her position, insisting that the people of the state are yet to feel her impact in government.

They therefore want Mr. Jonathan to demonstrate greater understanding of the dynamics of governance and respect the feelings of the people and make an alternative nomination for the state.

But in a swift reaction,another group, the Association of Democratic Governance warned that it will organise a rally to neutralize whatever opposition that may have been perpetrated to frustrate the nomination of Mrs. Allison-Madueke.

Mr. Ken Embelede, chairman of the pro-group, and Mr. Conference Moupeide its secretary in a counter statement said that the re-nomination of Mrs. Allison-Madueke was designed to ensure continuity in the business of governance of the country.

They reminded those opposed to her nomination to realise that Mr. Jonathan who endorsed her current status had worked with the former minister for the past two years to appreciate the qualities that prompted her re-nomination.

The group accordingly urged citizens of Bayelsa to accept the nomination of  their sister by the Acting President considering the fact that it will promote ''peace, unity and stability'' in the polity.