…Accuses Former Gov of Using Thugs<\/p>\n
Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has described the reported emergence
\nof former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, as the All Progressive
\nCongress gubernatorial candidate in the state as a \u201chuge joke.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oshiomhole was the Chairman of an electoral committee set up by the
\nnational leadership of APC to conduct the governorship primaries in
\nBayelsa State.<\/p>\n
The governor said Sylva was not declared winner of the primaries, hence no
\nCertificate of Return was issued to him.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters in Benin City, Oshiomhole said the purported
\nemergence of Sylva would not alter the rules of the party.<\/p>\n
He stated that other aspirants agreed to follow the guidelines released by
\nthe national leadership of the party, but Sylva insisted that the
\nprimaries should be conducted without accreditation.<\/p>\n
He said Sylva insisted that it was wrong for the national Secretariat to
\nconduct the primaries and that it was the function of the party leadership
\nin the state.<\/p>\n
Oshiomhole said,\u201dBy the way Sylva conducted himself, it shows that he does
\nnot have faith in this democratic process. Sylva insisted that he founded
\nAPC in Bayelsa State and therefore he cannot understand why people who
\ndidn\u2019t fund the party have this right to contest on the platform of the
\nparty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reported election of Sylva is a joke because I am the returning
\nofficer in that primaries and which is why I function as the Chairman of
\nthe Election Committee. The next person is the Secretary. Neither the
\nSecretary nor myself announced any result. It is customary that when
\nelection is conducted, the winner of the election is issued a Certificate
\nof Return. As far as I know no such certificate was issued.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a member of the committee purport they are now selling results, that
\nis their funeral. That does not in any way alter the rules of the party.
\nSylva can declare himself but none of this can substitute for due process
\nwhich the party is committed to. Anybody who wanted to do a shoddy job
\nwill not ask people like me to be part of that exercise because I cannot
\nbe used for fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe committee was virtually held hostage including my humble self. These
\nthugs were supervised by one of the aspirants, Mr. Timipre Sylva. Sylvia
\nsaid to my face that we cannot leave the venue of the exercise unless we
\ncarry out the exercise without accreditation as prescribed by the National
\nSecretariat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSylva told me that the committee will not leave unless we were ready to
\nconduct the primaries without recourse to accreditation. I was not in a
\nposition to amend the guidelines nor was I ready to submit to
\nintimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it was clear that they had mobilized the thugs and the thugs in
\ncollaboration with the police took over the stadium, the police left the
\nstadium open and it made the thugs gained access into the venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to call on Abuja to prevail on the JTF to provide me with security
\nto leave the venue of the primaries. The thugs have effectively blocked
\nthe gate under the instructions of Sylva.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
…Accuses Former Gov of Using Thugs Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has described the reported emergence of former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, as the All Progressive Congress gubernatorial…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n