Efforts to reconcile aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress,
(APC), in Bayelsa State by the leadership of the party have continued to
proved abortive.
Already, a faction led by the state chairman of the party, Tiwe Oruminige,
has threatened to mobilise support and ensure that his members vote for
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Governor Seriake Dickson in
the forthcoming governorship election scheduled for December, 5 2015.
The faction had last week in Yenagoa, protested against the choice of a
retired Permanent Secretary, Ogiri as a running mate to ex-governor
Timipre Sylva.
In the protest that lasted for several hours at the APC secretariat along
Mbiama/Yenagoa Road, they pulled down Sylva’s billboard, chanting war
songs and calling for immediate replacement of Sylva’s running mate which
was said to have been ratified by the National Working Committee (NWC) of
the party.
To further press home their demands, placards with various inscriptions
were displayed during the protest.
Sensing the danger ahead, the NWC summoned a meeting in Abuja to address
the issue but it was deadlocked as the two groups were not ready to shift
ground.
A source at the meeting stated that representatives of the Tiwe led group
accused Sylva of betraying his followers, adding that they supported him
on his promise that he would pick Tiwe as his running mate.
The agreement was sealed before the APC primaries in Yenagoa.
Other governorship aspirants suffered similar fate as Sylva promised them
governorship ticket before joining the party only for him to renege on the
agreement.
A member of the group said that they have opened talks with the leadership
of the PDP Bayelsa state.
He said, “We are not ashamed of making what I will describe as progressive
U-turn to the PDP. This is politics and it is all about interest. As at
the time that we are leaving PDP, we thought of better treatment in APC
but it is the other way round.
“We are going to vote enmasse for the PDP even as members of APC. We are
going to pay Sylva back in his own coin.
“Some of us have planned to make appearance at Governor Dickson campaign
flag off on Saturday and there is no going back.APC and Sylva have failed
us and we are saying no to impostor.”