\n\u2026SYLVA FINGERED BEHIND THE PLOT<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Bayelsa State caucus in the National Assembly, Senator\u00a0Foster Ogola, has condemned fresh moves to have former governor Diepreye\u00a0Alamieyesiegha, extradited to Britain.<\/p>\n
While speaking at a function where Bayelsa State governor, Seriake\u00a0Dickson, was endorsed for a second term by several Non-Governmental\u00a0Organisations (NGOs) and the collective of the civil society in Yenagoa,\u00a0the state capital yesterday, Senator Ogala raised posers on the rationale\u00a0for the extradition notice by Britain.<\/p>\n
According to him, the latest moves were suspicious, noting that\u00a0Alamieyesiegha had gone through a legal process, prosecuted by a competent\u00a0court of jurisdiction, indicted, sentenced and was granted presidential\u00a0pardon.<\/p>\n
He asked:\u201d What is the basis of this new extradition having gone through\u00a0all legal process culminating in a presidential pardon?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ogola, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues in the National Assembly\u00a0therefore called for restraint on the extradition moves in the interest of\u00a0justice.<\/p>\n
Lending his voice to Ogola\u2019s position, Bayelsa State Chairman of the\u00a0Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff, who also spoke\u00a0at the event condemned the extradition notice which, he said, smacked of\u00a0high level conspiracy.<\/p>\n
He accused the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the\u00a0state as brains behind the extradition plot which he regarded as a\u00a0conscious step to destroy the Ijaw nation. This, he said, was unfortunate\u00a0and a clear injustice.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe extradition notice smacks of high level conspiracy contrived\u00a0by some powerful elements in the APC Government, who are out to destroy\u00a0the Ijaw nation. They plotted against our son, Mr. President and denied\u00a0him the opportunity of returning to power and now they are after another\u00a0noble son of ours in the person of DSP Alamieyesiegha. This injustice will\u00a0not stand. How many times will a man be convicted for the same offence?\u201d<\/p>\n
The party chairman castigated the APC leadership in the state, saying its\u00a0antics suggested that it was against the Ijaw nation and why the PDP has\u00a0been telling the people to reject it at the polls.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis election is not about Dickson but the collective interest of the\u00a0Ijaw nation. From all indications, the APC is against the Ijaw nation and\u00a0why our people must reject it\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
On its part, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has reiterated its position on\u00a0earlier statement about the extradition notice, warning that the Ijaw\u00a0nation will not sit idly and watch its leaders disgraced by those it\u00a0referred to as \u201ccabals\u2019 in the Buhari administration.<\/p>\n
The statement said that the Buhari government was being selective in the\u00a0fight against corruption, asking why no northerner has so far been invited\u00a0to answer corruption charges nor extradited.\u00a0 Quoting a similar poser by\u00a0the former Senate President Ken Nnamani, the IYC also asked why has Buhari\u00a0not deemed it fit to prosecute those involved in the Halliburton scam?<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the APC governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva, has been\u00a0fingered as the brain behind the extradition notice.<\/p>\n
A reliable source who made the claim to our reporter said Sylva\u2019s close\u00a0working relationship with the Secretary to the Federal Government,\u00a0Babachir David Lawal, facilitated the extradition moves.<\/p>\n
The source, who pleaded anonymity, said Sylva instigated the decision to\u00a0include Alamieyesiegha\u2019s name among those whose names were listed in the\u00a0letter which President Muhammadu Buhari took along with him in his recent\u00a0trip to the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
According to him, President Buhari handed the list to the UK authorities\u00a0as persons to be investigated and invited for questioning and prosecution.<\/p>\n
He said former Petroleum Minister, Dieziani Allison-Madueke\u2019s name was top\u00a0on the list and other cabinet members of the Jonathan administration.<\/p>\n
The source was emphatic that Sylva had a close relationship with the SGF,\u00a0stating that the outcome of the APC governorship primary was only possible\u00a0because of the influence of the latter.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo prove to you the strong link existing between Sylva and the SGF, you\u00a0will recall that during the botched APC primaries, it was the SGF who\u00a0directed the Inspector-General of Police to deploy the AIG that supervised\u00a0the controversial election. Even with the reported violence which marred\u00a0the primaries and indeed the threat to the life of Edo State governor, the\u00a0AIG went on national TV to say the primaries was peaceful. So you can\u00a0understand what\u2019s at play\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
Similar game plan was also said to be in the works as it was gathered that\u00a0Sylva may be cashing in on his rapport with SGF to win the December 5\u00a0election in the state.<\/p>\n
It is believed in some strategic circles that plans may have been\u00a0perfected to deploy persons sympathetic to APC cause to serve as INEC\u00a0officials who will conduct the election in Bayelsa State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2026SYLVA FINGERED BEHIND THE PLOT Chairman of the Bayelsa State caucus in the National Assembly, Senator\u00a0Foster Ogola, has condemned fresh moves to have former governor Diepreye\u00a0Alamieyesiegha, extradited to Britain. While…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n