The Mangrove Boys of Bayelsa, a group of young elements in the creeks of
Niger Delta canvassing for improved economic benefits for the Ijaw nation,
is set to stage a 10,000-man march to protest the emergence of former
governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, as candidate for the December
5governorship election in the state.
Sylva’s alleged poor human rights record and lack of performance when he
was governor for five years were reasons given for the protest. The group
which said Sylva’s emergence was an insult to its collective membership
wondered why it was so difficult for the All Progressives Congress (APC)
to get a better candidate other than Sylva and has vowed to resist his
second coming even as a candidate.
The group, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Bennard Legite, and
made available to the press in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Friday,
faulted the APC’s decision to pick the former governor as its candidate
and wondered if the party was serious about the quest for change or
actually interested in winning the election.
According to the statement, Sylva’s record as governor was so appalling
and anti-people as it said the period was marked by violence and killings
as well as massive corruption and wastes in government.
The statement read in parts:” We the collective members of the Mangrove
Boys of Bayels are saddened by the emergence of former governor Timipre
Sylva as the APC candidate for the December 5 governor election in Bayelsa
State. Even if we have had any sympathy for the APC, its decision to pick
Sylva as candidate has totally changed our focus. It runs counter to any
logic and decency. For a person who for five years can only be remembered
for his brutal violence against his people, killing and maiming, rendering
many women widows and many children fatherless and with such a record of
corruption, then we do not think Sylva’s second coming is good for any
purpose in Bayelsa State.
“To demonstrate our resolve to stop Sylva, we are set to mobilise our
members and teeming youths of Bayelsa for a 10,000-man march to protest
Timipre Sylva’s emergence and his candidacy. It is simply unacceptable for
the interest of all our people. It is absolutely inconceivable that APC
will field a man currently on trial for corruption by the EFCC. Now, what
message is the APC sending out about President Muhammadu Buhari’s
anti-corruption war? These are the moral issues for APC to think about.
“Our protest is to draw the important attention to this malady that
Sylva’s emergence will spell doom as a sad reminder of a return to the
dark days of killings, cultism, militancy and general insecurity in
Bayelsa. Bayelsans have not forgotten the deadly blows they suffered under
Sylva’s inhuman regime as governor. We all remember the countless deaths,
many wives turned widows and fatherless children. We also remember the
routine diversion of funds meant for civil servant salaries and a legacy
of crippling debt profile. With this ugly past, then our question is: what
is Sylva coming to do again? To inflict further punishment on our people
or does he think we are so gullible to so accept him? Now, is this the
kind of change the APC want us to accept? We think otherwise. In the
absence of any better candidate from the APC, then we believe it is better
for the current governor to continue in office. After all, he has done
some good job even when we are asking for more. We are using this
statement to call on all our members and the entire youths in the state to
be prepared for this important 10,000-man march. This time will be
different”.