Last week, the Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries ended in fiasco. The result of the controversial shadow poll was cancelled. Major contenders are trading blames. Will chieftains repeat the same mistake or learn useful lessons from the sad episode as they prepare for another exercise? Correspondent MIKE ODIEGWU, who witnessed the flawed contest, examines the bitter struggle for the party’s ticket by aspirants.
Expectations were high in Bayelsa State on September 22. Eyes were on the All Progressives Congress (APC). Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who hails from the state, was anxiously monitoring the governorship primary of the opposition party. Also, Governor Seriake Dickson, the PDP candidate, waited anxiously for the emergence of his rival. But, the APC flag bearer did not emerge that day.
The anxiety was, no doubt, expected. The APC is the only viable alternative to the ruling PDP. As a new bride believed to have offered fresh hope to the people, many stalwarts of the PDP abandoned their party to embrace it.
But, the day ended on a bad note. Instead of producing an acceptable standard bearer for the party as a similar exercise did in Kogi State,the exercise was ended in fiasco. Criticisms are trailing the contest, which heralded crisis and bad blood. Observers believe that the crisis have implications for the party during the general elections.
Controversy:
According to observers, the exercise was marred by violence, thuggery, intimidation of some aspirants and meddlesomeness by party officials. The The Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Edo State Governor of Adams Oshiomhole, was held hostage. He was later smuggled out of the venue by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) and soldiers.
The governor escaped from the scene under the pretence that he was going to have his meal. In fact, trouble started around 8am, when thugs, suspected cultists and ex-militants invaded the entrance of Samson Siasia Sports Complex, Yenagoa, the venue of the exercise. The thugs hurled stones at delegates showed up for screening. There were chaos and panic.
The unruly crowd attacked the delegates. They ran and sent them running for their lives. Most of the delegates, especially those said to be loyal to one of the aspirants and former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe, ran away from the venue and refused to return out of fear.
The local government chairmen of the party in Sagbama, Ekeremor and Yenagoa, were attacked and wounded by the thugs. Despite, the deployment of over 1300 policemen led by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), the violence continued unabated.
Most of the delegates were not allowed access to the venue of the primary. The Chairman of the party, Chief Tiwe Oruminighe, and some of his executive members were angry at Alaibe and attacked him verbally. Alaibe maintained his cool as he uttered no word.
When the accreditation of delegates started, many people who presented themselves for the exercise were said to be fake delegates in possession of cloned voter cards. The Master of the Ceremony (MC) announced that some persons with cloned cards had been arrested and handed over to the police.
Three aspirants, Alaibe, Prince Preye Aganaba and Ebitimi Amgbare, who spoke with reporters, called for the cancellation of the exercise.
Alaibe said: “You have seen the rancourous process leading to the primaries. The process is being marred by irregularities, violence, intimidation and complete disrespect for aspirants, agents and party officials.
“This is an enactment of negative history for a party that stands on the mantra of change. I think something is missing somewhere and we need to get it right. We have had delegates perceived to be loyal to us, threatened, beaten wounded since morning
“Quite a lot of people you see here are not delegates. Most of the authentic delegates are outside. We need to put a stop to this process. We will meet with the chairman of the committee and ask for the cancellation of the process.
“Some other times we can get the security dynamics rights so that we can get the methodology of the primaries right. We cannot continue with this process.”
Also, Aganaba described the process as shameful, adding that it has failed to represent the values and principles of the party.
He said: “I am ashamed of this process. I was a member of the Presidential APC in Lagos. It was a successful convention and when the winner emerged, all other aspirants supported the winner. But the process today is flawed.
“It is a pity that the chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, is not here. We have been here since 8am and it is 1pm and he is not here. Most of the delegates here are fake. I toiled for this party and sweated for it to be established in Bayelsa and if l am asking for the cancellation of this exercise, they should know how serious l am. I believe we should even move the primary to another state”.
But, another aspirant and former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, said he had not received complaints of malpractices. He advised delegates and aspirants to conduct themselves peacefully.
“I am not an agent and if there are people with clone cards, we will make sure they are arrested. I was part of the arrangements put in place. Among all the aspirants l am the only one with the credentials; someone who has done a term here.
“You know how unjustly l was treated in office. So, their sense of justice is still burning. Delegates should conduct themselves peacefully just as I advised all the aspirants to conduct themselves put peacefully”, he said.
As the aggrieved aspirants were protesting, Oshiomhole, who came late, entered the venue. The convoy of Oshiomhole came in the midst of the controversies, two minutes after Sylva arrived the area. Sylva was hailed by the crowd.
The Edo State governor suspended the exercise after he observed some irregularities. He held marathon meetings with members of his committee. After meeting with them, Oshiomhole also spent over an hour meeting with all the aspirants, which led to speculations that the shadow poll could be cancelled.
Following responses he got from the aspirants, the committee chairman started another round of meeting with the committee members. But, when feelers that the poll was to be cancelled and got to the camp of Sylva, tempers flayed with most loyalists of the former governor accusing Oshiomhole of compromise.
Matters got to a head when Sylva called the National Vice-Chairman of APC, South-South and complained that the process was designed to deny him the advantages of being the state leader.
He accused the committee and the National Chairman of designing a process that was bound to fail. He said it was impossible for the committee to come from Abuja to conduct an election without involving the local people.
No sooner had Sylva complained than youths loyal to him surged into the venue chanting songs of victory in his name. Security operatives threw the gate to the complex open and allow the youths to come in their droves.
There was pandemonium as aspirants, reporters and other dignitaries took to their heels out of fear. One of the state executive members grabbed the microphone, threw tantrums at Oshiomhole and alleged that he had compromised. But, the governor sat quietly. He did not say anything.
Oruminighe announced that the accreditation of delegates should continue. Oshiomhole later escaped from the scene. The exercise ended at about 8pm and Sylva was declared the winner.
Sylva was said to have been declared the winner by a member of the APC electoral committee identified as Nelson Alabar. He polled 726 votes to defeat his closest rival and former member of the House of Representative, Mr. Warman Ogoriba, who scored 10 votes.
The former governor described his emergence as a proof of the indivisibility of the APC.
He said: “I have never been proud in my life. I have belonged to many political parties such as the defunct UNCP and the nearly dead PDP. But I am very proud of the APC with a very clear internal democracy.
“A few years ago, I was unjustly stopped from contesting a governorship primary by my former party.p My former party did that to me. A few days ago, they disqualified a serving senator from contesting.
“It is shameful. I have once again gone through a primary and emerged winner. It is contest like this that makes the difference.It is this contest that makes the difference between the APC and others.There is no doubt that we will win the election.”
Ogoriba, who spoke on behalf of other aspirants accepted defeat and commended the winner, Sylva.
Unresolved issues:
In fact, before the primary, the party had some unresolved issues. There was a sentiment within the state executive members of the party and Sylva’s loyalists that they would not surrender the ticket to a new comer, no matter how popular the person is. So, despite the assurances by the national leadership that all aspirants would be treated equally, the executive members held a different opinion. Pundits observe that, before the primary, the party leadership could not rise above the old-new member sentiment to consider the overall interest of winning the general poll.
Again, there was a clear division in the party. While some old and new members backed the aspiration of Sylva, others supported the ambition of Alaibe. Apart from few aspirants like Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, considered to be independent-minded, other aspirants belonged to either Alaibe’s or Sylva’s camps. The division was obvious at the venue of the primary as the two camps moved separately and sat separately.
At the eve of the primary, Oshiomhole led a seven-man electoral committee to Yenagoa. The Edo governor emphasised that the party had no preference for any aspirant adding that whoever emerged the winner would fly the flag of the party.
The governor and his committee met with all the 19 aspirants in a hotel in Yenagoa and promised to follow the laid-down rules. He said any international passport issued to any delegate after the party released its guidelines for the poll would not be used for accreditation.
He said the accreditation of delegates would commence by 8am and end at 12pm, adding that late comers would not be allowed accreditation and voting. Oshiomhole said the rules guiding the exercise were sacrosanct and would not be compromised for any reason.
He said 1,508 were expected to turn up as delegates for the exercise, insisting that the most potent instrument of identification for the poll is the Permanent Voter Card (PVC). He said the primary is a family affair, stressing that the rules were not different from those used in Kogi and the presidential primaries.
He said two Board of Trustee (BoT)-former Governor Timipre Sylva and the Deputy Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank-were also eligible to vote. Oshiomole said the open ballot system of voting would used for the exercise.
He, however, warned aspirants against involvement in cloning identification cards. He said the party would deploy card readers to authenticate the identity cards and PVCs presented by delegates.
“If anyone is involved in criminal acts, we will ensure they are arrested. Cloning of cards is a criminal offence. The sponsor of such act and those caught with the cloned cards would be arrested”, he said.
The governor added: “The election is a family activity.The family is meeting to deliberate on who can be entrusted with the party flag to contest the December 5 election. Already, the fact that we can seat together in Bayelsa is a good sign.
“The election is not between enemies; it is not between opponents. The language in this primaries is not to win and defeat and it is not to kill. The language must not be violent.At the end of the day, there would be no looser. Whoever emerges can not govern the state as a military administrator.”
“Out of 19, only one will emerged as our party’s flag bearer. l know I have visited the state on different matters and I enjoyed myself.But I know I won’t be able to enjoy myself like before.But I know I will come back when my party is in government.”
Friction among leaders:
The aftermath of the controversial election has thrown the party into crisis. Observers contend that it may rob the Edo governor of an opportunity of visiting an APC-led Bayelsa after December 5. First, it has created friction between Sylva and Oshiomhole and the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
The governor lamented how thugs held him and members of his committee hostage. He accused the Sylva of insisting that the primary election should be held without following the guidelines. But, Sylva replied described Oshiomhole a liar and a mischief-maker. He also accused the governor of bias.
Mixed feelings:
Following the report of the committee, Oyegun cancelled the exercise, saying another date would be chosen for a fresh primary. The cancellation was received with mixed feelings. While most of the aspirants received it as a welcome development, Sylva and his camp totally rejected the move by the party to hold another internal election.
Some observers believe that the cancellation has further boosted the confidence and hope the people repose in APC. They believe that by so doing the APC had shown itself a non-nonsense party not ready to bend its rules and principles of internal democracy. To them it shows that nobody’s ambition is greater than the party.
Concerned youths from the state commended the national leadership of APC for annuling the party’s primary. The youths under the auspices of Bayelsa Youth and Student Volunteers for Progressive Change (BYSVPC) further hailed Oshiomhole, and his electoral committee members for rising above intimidation to insist that the right thing must be done.
The BYSVPC, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Ayere Egbetein, Secretary, B.J. John and Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jonathan Okwa, said that the purported primary where Sylva emerged as candidate was a sham and fraudulent.
The group said the cancellation was a good development for the APC, adding that persons who desired to get to power through the back door had been taught a lesson of their lives. It condemned the intimidation and assaults on delegates and persons said to be loyal to Alaibe, at the venue of the bungled primary.
The group described the attacks as barbaric and lamented that the old order of things Bayelsa youths were clamouring to change was still present. It recommended to the national leadership of the APC that the rescheduled primary be moved to a neutral ground outside Bayelsa State to forestall breakdown of law and order.
It said: “We suggest that the rescheduled primary election be moved to a neutral ground outside the state. This will ensure safety and bring about credible elections or in the alternative, we pray the leadership of the party to over the security apparatus at the venue of the rescheduled date to boost delegates confidence and public participation and build confidence in the APC.
“The party should work out a more credible process of accreditation of authentic delegates and where possible collaborate with the Independent National Electoral Commission to deploy more of its staff on identification of cloned PVCs to avoid impersonation and pseudo delegates who are only engaged to thwart the good reputation of the party.
“As youths and students, we are the worst hit in the emergence of any bad government. As people at the grassroots, we can only commend Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and the national leadership of the APC for taking the right step. “It urged the delegates to remain calm and committed to the process and not give in to threats and intimidation. It called on the teeming members and Bayelsans to stand by the candidate that can help the APC to succeed in the December 5 governorship election.
The group urged delegates to vote for Timi Alaibe, whom they said remained calm and unmoved despite attacks on his personality by some hired thugs. It said a vote for Alaibe would lift Bayelsa to the next level of development, adding that it is only Alaibe that could develop the state.
Reactions by aspirants:
Also, some of the governorship aspirants hailed the decision of the national leadership of the party to cancel the primary election in the state. The aspirants said the body language of the party on due process had boosted their confidence in the APC and shown that no man’s ambition was greater than the founding principles of the party.
They also advised the party to ensure that proper security was put in place before conducting a fresh primary to forestall breakdown of law and order.
Ikiogha, applauded the cancellation of the exercise he described as a charade. He said the APC, for not pandering to impunity and lawlessness, had shown that it was different from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He disclosed that about 10 of his delegates were wounded during the violence that broke out at the last primary.
“I am attending to over 10 delegates who were wounded at the last primary. I can’t abandon them and travel. I hail the decision because what happened on Tuesday abnormal. We are appealing to the party to put proper security in place before holding another primary”, he said.
Another aspirant and founding member of the party, Prince Preye Aganaba, said the cancellation and rescheduling of the primary, had confirmed APC as a law-abiding party.
“We are a party that has always organised free and fair primary. It is not about who wins, but the process. I am not surprised at the announcement cancelling the exercise”, he said.
Identifying himself as the first registered member of the APC in the state, Aganaba said he was not making noise about his status in the party because of his belief that delegates would do the right thing. He said persons who claimed to be popular in the party should not be afraid of contesting a free and fair primary.
He said the state executive members of the party has no business with the primary since all of them are delegates.
“The state executive members cannot constitute an electoral committee to screen out real delegates at the gate and allow thugs to come in as delegates. I know we will have a free and fair primary in Bayelsa. I heard one Bolous Mbiamowei saying he was one of the founding members of the party. It is not true because he is not a registered member of APC. He has no membership card”, he said.
Also speaking, another aspirant, Mr. Ebitimi Amgbare, said the APC has not betrayed its members and aspirants.
“We beleive in this party and we have hope and confidence in it. We proud of the APC leadership for making a popular decision. The leadership has shown that nobody is greater than the principles of the party”, he said.
But, Sylva dared Oyegun, saying that he (Sylva) remained the party’s candidate for the December 5 election. In a statement by his aide, Mr. Doifie Buokoribo, he described as misleading reports that the primary had been cancelled or rescheduled.
Buokoribo maintained that the primary was won by Sylva, adding that it was conducted in accordance with the rules and guidelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He said and the party had no basis to cancel the outcomes of the exercise.
He said: “We want to state categorically that since the primary election was conducted according to the rules and duly won by Sylva, he remains the candidate of the APC in Bayelsa State and any statement to the contrary is mere rumour.
“The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, does not have the powers to unilaterally annul a state primary election. We are even shocked that he allowed his name to be used when he has not even received the report from members of the electoral panel.
“Beyond the electoral panel’s report, there is also an Appeals Committee, which has the responsibility to examine complaints arising from the primary election. It is only after the Appeals Committee has concluded its job that the National Working Committee (NWC) will meet to consider all reports from the primary, including those of the security agencies.
“There are seven members of the panel. Let us say Governor Adams Oshiomhole has submitted his own report through the pages of newspapers, there are six members left and the NWC has to sit and debate the reports.
“Oshiomhole lied that the election was marred by violence. There are pictures and videos to prove that he lied. There are pictures and video to show that Oshiomhole presided over the election and handed over the exercise to the Secretary of the Panel on the excuse that he was going to eat.
“It should also be pointed out that only Oshiomhole left the venue of the election and that the remaining six panel members and INEC officials remained in the venue till the winner was announced.
“Oshiomhole must answer some questions relating to his conducts, which completely compromised his position as Chair of the election panel. Right from the beginning, it was obvious that Oshiomhole was working towards a pre-determined answer, unfortunately for him, the will of our people prevailed.
“Lastly, you cannot abort a baby that has already been born. The APC governorship primary has been concluded in Bayelsa State, a winner has emerged, and the winner is Sylva.
“We therefore, ask our teeming supporters to remain calm and ignore the rumour that a new primary is being scheduled.
Sylva also gave an indication that he will head for the court if the party cancels his victory and insists on another election. He gave the indication following reports that the two governors had been selected to assist Oshiomhole in conducting another election on Tuesday.
Buokoribo said any attempt by the party to hold a fresh primary would amount to an act of “illegality.”
He said: “Let us restate here that an APC candidate for the December 5, 2015 governorship election in Bayelsa State has emerged and that candidate is Chief Timipre Sylva. No amount of media manipulation can change that. This is a society of law and order.
“Besides, there is no way a hopelessly compromised Oshiomhole, who has also openly displayed his bias, can be asked again to go and conduct an election in Bayelsa State. Even his masters know that will be unacceptable to Nigerians.
“Similarly, as at Saturday, 26 September 2015, Tambuwal is in far away New York attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) while Amosun is attending Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Are they going to conduct a virtual election?
“Despite the orchestrated lies and disinformation, the Sylva Campaign will again urge our teeming supporters to be law-abiding, peaceful but resolute. Victory is sure.”
“Everything, and I mean about everything, is different from where I was coming from. The first five months were very strange to me because the mentality is different, but luckily I met this wonderful French guy of African origin and I mean Joshua Guilavogui who has been with Wolfsburg for three years and he really assisted me in settling down to a new life in Europe.
