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APC, PDP trade words over Bayelsa re-run polls

By Sam Oluwalana, Yenagoa
30 December 2015   |   11:56 pm
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Peoples Democratic Party counterpart in Bayelsa State yesterday accused each other of alleged plan to skew the re-scheduled governorship election billed for January 9, 2016 in each other’s favour.
Sylva

Sylva

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Peoples Democratic Party counterpart in Bayelsa State yesterday accused each other of alleged plan to skew the re-scheduled governorship election billed for January 9, 2016 in each other’s favour.

While the PDP accused the APC candidate, Timipre Sylva, of visiting the troubled Southern Ijaw area of the state as a guest of two notorious militant leaders, General Africa and Ogunbos, the APC on its own accused the PDP flag-bearer, Governor Seriake Dickson, of visiting the Aso Rock Villa in order to enlist the support of President Muhammadu Buhari to tilt the election results in his favour.

The state PDP claimed in a statement released yesterday that
Sylva has stormed Southern Ijaw in a manner it said many felt was “less desirable” because of the implication for peace and stability ahead of the rescheduled rerun election.”

The alleged statement said: “It was gathered that Sylva was in the area to “plot strategies” for the election and the huge presence of state security men and political thugs reported to be among those who created the mayhem that led to the cancellation of the Southern Ijaw election jolted the public.”

In its own statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Chief Nathan Egba, the party said that the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, made a surprise visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday in an apparent move to lobby President Muhammadu Buhari over the January 9, 2016 re-run election in the state.

The PDP statement reads: “Sylva, who arrived Ogboinbiri in Southern Ijaw in company of some APC stalwarts, was said to have been received by Ogunbos and General Africa, surrounded by hordes of thugs and supporters as they chanted war songs eulogising the arrival of the APC candidate.
“Shouts of “Opua-Abadi” rented the air which is the chieftaincy title of Timipre Sylva as the stern-looking thugs were all over him proclaiming their readiness to repeat the mayhem which led to the cancellation of the election in the area.

Reacting to the visit of Governor Dickson to the Villa, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation of the APC, Chief Nathan Egba, said President Buhari should be wary of the desperate Dickson, whose main plan is to win the election through the use of violence.

Dickson1

Dickson

According to Chief Egba: “Nigerians have now formed a very negative impression about the aggressive governor, who is adept at intimidating and harassing people to support his second term ambition while beating up public officers like the Southern Ijaw Local Council Chairman, Chief Remember Ogbe, for not delivering the area in the cancelled polls.

Meanwhile, the campaign organisation of the PDP, the Restoration Campaign Organisation, has denied reports that Governor Dickson was at the Presidential Vila to see President Muhammadu Buhari, but was disallowed to meet with him.

The organisation in a statement released yesterday by its Director of Publicity, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, refuted this claim, saying it is a “lie and figment of the imagination of the
APC in Bayelsa State to think the governor would visit Aso Villa without any previous appointment.

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