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Tag: Sylva

  • Dickson, Sylva clash over violence in Bayelsa

    Dickson, Sylva clash over violence in Bayelsa

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and a former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Sunday, engaged in verbal attacks over alleged sponsorship of violence in the  state.

    Three persons were injured in Brass Local Government Area of the state at the weekend following a bloody clash between loyalists of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    But Dickson faulted a claim by the Timipre Silva Media Office that he was hatching  a  plot to begin a campaign of calumny against Sylva, describing the allegation as a futile attempt to distract his government.

    The governor in a statement by his Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said he was too busy with issues of development to take issues with politicians who he said failed Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation.

    He asked Sylva to stop using the name of the President Muhammadu Buhari, to cover up his activities in Bayelsa.

    The governor said the fact  that Sylva is a member of APC should not give him a licence to sponsor activities to the detriment of peace and security in the state.

    He appealed to security agencies to perform their statutory responsibility and not to allow unscrupulous politicians to take advantage of them.

    He also urged the security agencies to ensure the security of lives and property in the state.

    Dickson asked Sylva to be concerned that Brass, his local government area, had become a den of criminals and warned that he would not hesitate to invoke the powers of the law against anybody found to be involved in acts harmful to the security of the state.

    The governor said that he was saddled with a duty to protect lives and property in Bayelsa, alleging that Sylva was only creating a false impression that he was a factor in Bayelsa politics which was untrue.

    The governor challenged Sylva to pay attention to his dwindling political reputation rather than peddle falsity to misinform people.

    Dickson said: “Sylva who sought to be governor twice and was twice was rejected by Bayelsans couldn’t have been pulled down by Dickson because he is already down.

    ” The government will not hesitate to invoke the powers of the law against anybody found to have indulged in acts that consistently threaten the peace and security of the state.

    “This is a government that has a mandate to execute on behalf of the Bayelsa people. We cannot afford to be distracted by falsehood emanating from Sylva and his men.

    “Sylva should stop encouraging criminality in Bayelsa; he should support stability and development of his state. We have worked hard to address the insecurity and underdevelopment that Sylva left behind.”

    Sylva on his part, urged Dickson to face the business of governance rather than engage in a campaign of malicious defamation against him.

    Sylva in a statement by his Media Adviser, Doifie Buokoribo, said that his attention had been drawn to an alleged  clandestine scheme by the government to make him a subject of calumny in the eyes of the public.

    The leader of the APC in the state, therefore, urged residents of Bayelsa State, in particular, and Nigerians, in general, to promptly discountenance and denounce any malicious defamation scheme.

    He advised Dickson to be more imaginative and pay more attention to alleviating the suffering of the people, rather than taking them down the well-worn path of disparaging him to try to divert attention from his alleged misrule.

    He said: “We wish to alert well-meaning Nigerians to the plan by Dickson to launch a structured campaign of calumny against me.

    “We are not surprised, as this is in the character of Dickson. We witnessed this irresponsible behaviour before, during and after the last governorship election in the state, which he bought.

    “Dickson is living in fear, the fear of Sylva. The governor finds it difficult to come to terms with the fact that despite his shenanigans and schizoid propaganda to diminish me, my political profile continues to rise and rise and rise.

    “Also, Dickson’s paranoia is the attempt to destabilise Sylva’s home community of Brass Island. Already, Dickson has appointed a cretin as Caretaker Committee Chairman of Brass Local Government Council to do the dirty job. Last Thursday, this local government caretaker chairman shot two APC supporters with the help of mercenaries and thugs.

    ”It did not end there. He went on to declare a curfew on the Island, a place that has been peaceful. Clearly, these actions are meant to provoke me (Sylva). As a man of peace, I have had to restrain his supporters from seeking self-help.”

  • Sylva’s ex-Chief of Staff tackles fellow APC chieftain over attack on Jonathan, kinsmen

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State and ex-Chief of Staff to former Governor Timipre Sylva, Chief Samuel Ogboku has tackled his fellow party man, Perekeme Richard Kpodo over his recent attack on some Ogbia sons, describing it as an affront on the peace-loving people of Ogbia land, by a mischief-maker.Chief Ogboku who is also the deputy Paramount Ruler of Ayakoro Community accused Kpodo of plotting to pitch one part of Ijaw against the other.

    It would be recalled that Kpodo had in a recent newspaper article accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of favouring mainly his kinsmen from the Ogbia community through economic empowerment.Describing the claim as a blackmail and full of lies, Ogboku further dismissed it as a divisive intention meant to pitch Ogbia people against their brothers in the entire Ijaw nation.

    On why he opted to take on a fellow APC Chieftain, Ogboku said: “I wish to state that I have nothing personal against the author even if some people would want me to align with his submissions just because the people being attacked are members of the Peoples Democratic Party. On this matter, politics should not be an excuse to peddle lies and baseless allegations against hardworking Ogbia entrepreneurs.

    As an Ogbia Chief, I cannot hide under partisanship to allow unscrupulous characters to needlessly insult our people and heritage. In a democracy, the author has the right to talk about any subjector criticise and express his views. What is not acceptable is deliberately portraying Ogbia in bad light.”

    He said further: “Perekeme Richard Kpodo, in the said publication mischievously sought to portray the Ogbia people as the only beneficiaries of the Jonathan’s administration in the Niger Delta and supporting his warped argument with the few names of Ogbia sons currently going through an ordeal in the hands of anti-corruption agents.

    “Firstly, I may not be a friend to those he mentioned, but I can’t remember any Court of law finding any of these Ogbia sons guilty since the law says an accused is innocent untill he is found guilty. So, for now, nobody has the right to pass judgement on them. Moreso, some of the persons the author mentioned are not under any kind of investigation, so why blackmail successful and purpose-oriented
    businessmen.

    Dr. Eruani Azibapu, who is not under any kind of investigation is a successful businessman from Ogbia, and we are thankful to God to have such a person in our community.“The author emphasized on the Refinery under construction, by Dr. Eruani. It should be made clear to the author in case he doesn’t know, that Dr. Eruani’s firm obtained the licence for a Private Modular Refinery under the current Government of President Mohammed Buhari.

    This present administration further granted a 500MW power generation plant to Dr. Eruani’s firm, based on its proven capacity and credibility. So, as Ijaw people and Nigerians we are opportune to benefit from the President Buhari Administration just as other determined businessmen across the country benefitted from past administrations, including Alhaji Aliko Dangote who also got a licence for a refinery under the friendly policies of the Goodluck Jonathan administration. It is our belief that the mischief and blackmail of Kpodo are ill-conceived and should not be taken seriously.

    “Secondly, it should be stressed that the anti-corruption fight of the present administration is not restricted to a particular zone and quite a number of personalities across the Nation are under investigation, and not just Ogbia people contrary to the impression being created by Kpodo. Even within the Ijaw ethnic nationality, a number of individuals are facing trials while some have been declared
    wanted. Amazingly, some of these persons who are Kpodo’s kinsmen are facing weightier allegations than the salacious lies being circulated about the Ogbia people. So, the question is: what could be Kpodo’s intent in singling out Ogbia people for ridicule if his write up is not an affront on the community?

    “Ordinarily, the publication would have been ignored especially coming from a character like Kpodo. However, doing that would be a cheap way of accepting the spurious claims and attack on the collective psyche of the Ogbia people. It is unacceptable for anyone to portray the Ogbia people as criminals and failures. In Kpodo’s jaundiced assessment, a man celebrated worldwide for his stewardship in government could be a failure. But we all know the truth which cannot be diminished by the rant of Kpodo. President Jonathan’s achievements are footprints that remain indelible. Need we remind Kpodo and those beating the shameless drum for him to dance to that President Jonathan was a President to all Nigerians and not a president of Ogbia or Bayelsa State. He is a symbol of pride to the Ijaw people and the entire Nation. Could Kpodo have forgotten this early that President Jonathan

  • Osinbajo’s visit to Bayelsa unites Dickson, Sylva

    Osinbajo’s visit to Bayelsa unites Dickson, Sylva

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and his predecessor, Chief Timipre Sylva, at the weekend met for the first time since the controversial 2015/2016 governorship elections.

    The meeting of the two political foes happened during Friday’s visit of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and his team on their visit to the Niger Delta region.

    There was apprehension in the camps of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when news filtered in that Sylva was on Osinbajo’s entourage.

    Residents were worried about the likely outcome of a meeting between Dickson and Sylva, who had remained political foes after the elections.

    The worries were believed not to be out of place, considering the hate, jabs and tantrums that characterised electioneering and political actions during the poll and lingered months after.

    People recalled how Dickson, the candidate of PDP, described Sylva, the standard bearer of APC, as a “guy man”, while Sylva called the governor a “bushman”.

    But when they met at the weekend, their attitudes betrayed their supporters’ expectations.

    It was a dramatic moment as Sylva to shook hands with Dickson, who exchanged pleasantries with members of Osinbajo’s team at the heliport of the Government House in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    With a broad smile, Dickson told Sylva: “Countryman! Countryman!!” and warmly shook hands with him as Sylva returned the gesture with an infectious smile.

    Dickson turned to someone standing beside Sylva, saying: “Your friend (Sylva) is running away from me.”

    But Sylva replied: “I am not running away from you.”

    Everybody laughed.

    Some Ijaw leaders were happy at the development and thanked Osinbajo during a town hall meeting at the Banquet Hall in Yenagoa for uniting the two gladiators.

    Before presenting his council’s demands to Osinbajo, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide President Udengs Eradiri dwelt on the peace between Sylva and Dickson as one of the blessings of the visit.

    The IYC chief said it was remarkable the visit brought together the state chairmen of APC and PDP as well as Ijaw people from various political divides.

    He said: “I want to, on behalf of the Ijaw nation, thank your Excellency, the Acting President, for bringing peace to Bayelsa. This is the first political leader that will bring together two leaders of the Ijaw land.

    “Ijaw people across various political divides sit together. We thank you because our state really needs to be healed politically. Thank you for bringing peace.”

    Even Masters of Ceremony (MC) Ebi Abi noted that it was the first time APC and PDP state chairmen sat together.

    Dickson created more excitement among the crowd with his speech.

    He said: “Join me to welcome my immediate past predecessor. I was glad when I saw him at the heliport while waiting to receive the Acting President.”

    Addressing Sylva, he said: “My dear brother, since the end of our campaign, this is the first time I am seeing you. It is good to see that you are looking very well and handsome. That is the spirit of the new Bayelsa.”

  • Dickson to Sylva: Join my government

    Dickson to Sylva: Join my government

    The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has called on his All Progressives Congress (APC) challenger in the 2015 governorship election in the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, to forget the differences between them and join his administration in the interest of the state.

    Dickson, who described the ex- governor as his friend, said the desire to ensure growth and development of Bayelsa should take preeminence over individual political ambitions after the elections.

    The governor said the state needs Sylva’s connections to move forward.

    Dickson, during an interview he granted some journalists in Abuja at the weekend, said he had already demonstrated his openness by engaging some APC leaders in his administration.

    The governor said he was open to partnership and urged Sylva to use his contacts to work for development, security and peace of the state.

    He said: “I have several APC members in the government of Bayelsa State in one form or the other because after elections we should be talking about the state.

    “I am asking Sylva, my friend and former governor  – he knows what it means to be a governor of the state, he knows the challenges particularly the economic challenges –   to join us by using his own party connections and contacts positively to work for development, for security, for peace because in the end that is what our people want.

    “For me I was elected to serve the people so I am open for partnership, collaboration and cooperation. I want him to work with us and with his support we can jointly move our state forward.”

     

     

  • Sylva still owing me N500,000 says Dickson

    Sylva still owing me N500,000 says Dickson

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused his predecessor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, of refusing to pay N500,000 judgment sum the Supreme Court ordered him to pay in 2012.

    The governor said Sylva committed contempt of the apex court by his refusal to settle the judgment sum to him (Dickson) when the court struck out the APC candidate’s case.

    He said the former governor was heading to the apex court to challenge last year’s election and the rerun after allegedly disrespecting the same court.

    Sylva is praying the apex court to set aside the judgment of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his appeal to overturn the decision of the Bayelsa State Election Petitions Tribunal.

    The tribunal upheld the election of Dickson as winner of the last governorship poll.

    Sylva headed to the Appeal Court to challenge the tribunal verdict but also lost the appeal.

    The Supreme Court ordered Sylva to pay Dickson N500,000 as damages for abusing court process and for wasting the time of the justices.

    In a statement in Yenagoa, the state capital, by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor noted that if Sylva had respect for the Judiciary, he would have paid the N500,000, being an order of the Supreme Court.

    The apex court, which consisted of five justices in 2012, unanimously struck out the two issues Sylva presented before them for determination.

    The statement said Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who read the lead judgement, was hard on the former governor for wasting the time of the court.

    He awarded N500,000 as cost against Sylva and directed it to be paid to Dickson, the third respondent.

    Whereas the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP, which were the first and second defendants, were to bear their costs.

    The statement said: “Sylva is yet to pay me the N500,000 as ordered by the highest court in the land, thereby disrespecting the apex court. It is, therefore, surprising that it is still the same apex court Sylva is returning to ask the Supreme Court to remove Governor Dickson on the frivolous grounds that the election, which brought him to office, was unknown to law.”

     

  • Sylva, APC urge Appeal Court to void Dickson’s election

    Sylva, APC urge Appeal Court to void Dickson’s election

    •Appeal tribunal’s July 26 judgment 

    Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have appealed the July 26 judgment of the state’s Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the return of Seriake Dickson as winner of the last governorship election.

    In the appeal, filed by their lawyer, Sebastine Hon (SAN), before the Court of Appeal in Abuja on August 14, Sylva faulted the tribunal’s judgment and raised 24 grounds of appeal.

    They argued, among others, that the three-member tribunal, led by Justice Kazeem Alogba, misled itself, misapplied the law and came to a wrong verdict.

    Sylva and APC asked the Court of Appeal to, among others, set aside the judgment and grant his reliefs as contained in his petition or the alternative reliefs, including the cancellation of the poll and ordering a fresh election.

    The former governor and his party argued that the tribunal erred in law when it held that the reasons given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the election was within the provision Section 26(1) of the Electoral Act (EA) 2010.

    They argued that Section 26(1) of the Electoral Act has no provision for “cancellation” of election, but “postponement” of election.

    “The phrase, ‘other emergencies’ under Section 26(1) E A, is limited to the action of INEC ‘postponing’ an election and not ‘cancelling one that had already taken place,” they said.

    The appellants, who noted that Sylva’s major complaint was that INEC’s Electoral Officer in the state acted unlawfully by cancelling the result of elections already held in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area on December 6, last year, also said the tribunal was wrong to have upheld INEC’s claim that the election was postponed.

    Sylva and APC also faulted the tribunal for allegedly making contradictory findings.

    The appellants noted that since Form EC8A contained the polling unit results of election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, INEC should not have said no valid election was held in the area on December 6.

    They argued that the tribunal’s judges “misdirected themselves in law when they held that the appellant (Sylva) failed to prove and or tender any document showing that election results had been uploaded on the database of INEC before the cancellation of the election and that such failure not only meant abandonment of pleading but withholding of evidence, which, if tendered, would be fatal to the appellants”.

    Sylva and APC also faulted the tribunal, arguing that its judges erred in law when, in their alleged haste to dismiss the complaint on Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, refused to evaluate the appelants’ evidence to prove their case.

    They faulted the tribunal for failing to void Dickson’s election when it found, through credible evidence, that the combined result of election recorded by both candidates was 48,146 less than the over 120,000 total registered voters in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

    The appellants argued that the tribunal erred in law when, despite the strong case they made and proved, the tribunal still held that Dickson was validly elected.

    “The trial tribunal erred in law and thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice when it failed to make a definite pronouncement on the effect of the cancelled votes being more than the difference between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and APC.

    “The judges of the lower tribunal erred in law when they failed to give a ruling on the objection that exhibits R23 (A -J) – R33 (A -N) tendered by the first respondent were dumped on the tribunal, yet accorded the presumption of regularity in favour of the exhibits and attached weight to them and relied on exhibits R23AJ – 36(A – I) in its judgment,” the appellants said.

     

  • Ijaw youths urge Dickson, Sylva to reconcile

    Ijaw youths urge Dickson, Sylva to reconcile

    Ijaw youths have appealed to Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and his predecessor, Chief Timipre Sylva, to reconcile in the interest of the state’s development.

    Sylva, who is the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, and Dickson, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),  do not agree on matters affecting the state.

    Their differences deepened following the conduct and outcome of the governorship election, in which they each represented their parties.

    Dickson was declared winner of the inconclusive poll, the rerun and at the tribunal.

    But Sylva vowed to appeal the tribunal verdict.

    Ijaw youths, through the President of their umbrella council, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, urged them to shelve their differences and work to develop the state.

    IYC said there was no need to celebrate the tribunal victory, adding that the election had been won and lost.

    The council described the case as a distraction to Dickson, saying the money that should go for development was wasted in the matter.

    IYC said: “It is time for Sylva and Dickson to unite; that unity is the only way forward. Their followers should work towards uniting the two leaders. In Bayelsa, leaders are never united. At the end of the day, the people suffer.

    “So, it is time for the followers to work towards the unity of leaders in Bayelsa. This pull-down syndrome must stop; we have to stop this. There is nothing to celebrate because the more you keep distracting the government, the more people will suffer for it.

    “Dickson is a two-time governor and there is nothing you can do to change the status. Sylva was a governor and there is nothing you will do to change it. These two are not on our level. Don’t go and bother and kill yourselves; instead, unite and let us live as one people.”

    IYC advised those encouraging Sylva to pursue the electoral matter to invest their time on productive ventures and stop hoping for nothing.

    It said: “The opposition should stop distracting the government. Do you know how much it takes to fund these cases and the government will use the state money to fund them?

    “He is the governor of the state. Will he go and use his money? They are distracting Dickson. They should stop telling lies to followers because the time they ought to use to be productive, is being used to hope for nothing.”

  • Bayelsa APC elders throw weight behind Sylva

    Bayelsa APC elders throw weight behind Sylva

    Elders from the Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are pushing for the ratification of the alleged suspension of the state Chairman of the party, Chief Tiwe Oruminighe.

    It was gathered that the angry elders were collating the signatories of like minds across the eight local government areas of the state in support of a disciplinary action against Oruminighe.

    The state chapter of APC has been torn apart by a rift between a faction of the state executive committee, led by Oruminighe and the state leader of the party, Chief Timipre Sylva.

    Oruminighe, the party’s Secretary, Marlin Daniel and the Vice-Chairman, Mr. Eddy Julius, have been at war with Sylva over matters bordering on federal appointments.

    The impasse has also pitted 21 other members of the state party executive committee against Oruminighe.

    Amidst the controversies, it was gathered that the party elders had thrown their weight behind Sylva, accusing Oruminighe of insubordination, disloyalty and greed.

    The elders were said to be particularly unhappy with Oruminighe over his public tantrums and verbal abuses against Sylva and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.

    One of the leaders of the party, who spoke in confidence, said Oruminighe had bitten more than he could chew, adding that all the elders were united in ensuring that his suspension was ratified.

    Meanwhile, another group of party members in the state has come out to condemn the elders, saying such a group was foreign to the party constitution and the national secretariat of the party.

    In a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja and signed by the state Secretary of the party, Daniel Marlin, the party said genuine elders of the party in the state were busy doing what they can to help resolve the crisis within the party in the state.

    The statement said those claiming to be elders of the party were nowhere during the formation of the party, and asked party faithful to disregard the group, as they were not working for the interest of the party in the state.

    The statement reads: “It has come to our notice that a certain group, which calls itself the ‘Bayelsa APC Elders Forum’, has gone to press lately to complicate the ongoing crises in our state.

    “We wish to disown such a group as they are merely a make-shift lot drafted to do the bidding of their paymasters. This group was absent in all the many battles of the Bayelsa APC including our difficult embryonic phase when we would have needed such a group going by the sheer elegance of the name they chose to call themselves.’’

  • Sylva, Kwankwaso: A puzzle

    Sylva, Kwankwaso: A puzzle

    Is the world fair to politicians? Or are politicians fair to the world? Deciding this week to write on two politicians-Timipre Sylva and Rabiu Kwankwaso- I did a quick check on the world’s favourite professionals and found that politicians are not among them. Indeed, most of earth’s walkers hate politicians.

    That may be unfair, if not unwise considering the age-old warning that all of us are indeed political animals and that from the house to the neighbourhood clubhouse, the playground, the farmland all the way to the school, the church, the local pub down to the smallest political gathering and from there right up to Aso Rock itself, there is politics aplenty.

    That’s not all. Hated as politicians seem to be, we depend on their decisions on almost everything we care about. They decide which roads to build, for instance, when to build, where to build, and which community to give water and which to deny.

    Bicker and twiddle your fingers all you want or scratch your head interminably, the decision on when to pass the budget, say, or what to knock off it or add, is not yours or mine to take; it is the politicians’, their prerogative.

    Isn’t it about time the world revised its rating of this breed or brood of professionals?

    In these parts we reserve the most uncharitable words for our politicians, though we are less persuaded and forthcoming when it comes to documenting our rating of them against other professionals. Elsewhere, though, in America, say, great trouble is taken to ascertain how much their people love or hate their professionals. In one poll taken back in the year 2006, 63 per cent of 1,020 people said they preferred their firefighters over and above anyone else. Next and roughly in that order, most people surveyed chose doctors, nurses and scientists as closest to their hearts. Military officers also did well in the people’s minds, even first responders in crisis situations (Remember September 11, 2001). So did teachers, specifically mathematicians.

    What about the politicians? They were neither here nor there, hated more than loved, and doing perhaps just a bit better than lawyers, for whom some 21 per cent polled said they had no respect whatsoever.

    In 2011 teachers trumped everyone else followed by medical people such as nurses, even physical therapists. Politicians were overlooked more by design than by oversight.

    This year, it has been suggested than most Americans would first embrace a pilot and then, again, those who help the weak regain their health before considering who next to bestow their love on. No mention was made of those who campaign for votes and then proceed to decide, for good or ill, the fate of their compatriots and their nation.

    Hate or love them, Mr Sylva and Alhaji Kwankwaso, at least once in their political career, did indeed prove they had a mind of their own and were not afraid to declare where they stood on issues or personalities. Several years ago in those unfortunately conspiratorial days of the ailing Umaru Yar’Adua presidency, when the word ‘cabal’ was nearly as frequently used as, if not more so than, the word ‘president’, when the president’s wife, with help from a few hirelings, carried on as though she were the de facto president, Mr Sylva did remind everyone that Dr Goodluck Jonathan, then a much sidestepped vice president, was indeed the right person to take up the office of president. Mr Sylva made his case for Dr Jonathan quite early, if not earlier than anyone else. Before a book presentation event at which I played a minor part, the then governor of Bayelsa State seemed to speak out of conviction and courage and a sense of propriety. What would later become a clamour, even a movement, for the Jonathan presidency against the cabal, had not begun at the time. A Niger Deltan was fit to rule the land, he told everyone.

    At that event, Mr Sylva also revealed something rarely seen in our political class, especially among those who govern us. He spoke of a poem he wrote and then proceeded to read it by heart so effortlessly and so confidently.

    So our governors do read and write?

    I was just as pleasantly surprised at his Mr Sylva’s literary side as I was deeply concerned when he fell out with the same Dr Jonathan he fought for. Such was the disagreement that Mr Sylva would blame his failure to govern his state twice on presidential machinations. Eventually he fell out of the PDP altogether, pitching his tent with the APC on whose platform he contested and lost the December 5 governorship election. Last Saturday Mr Sylva was suspended by the party for, among other alleged infractions, visiting a PDP governor and attempting to form a parallel state executive of the party. The state party chiefs suggested the matter was being investigated and I suggest the investigation should be thorough so that, at least in one instance, it will be determined when a visit to a rival party governor amounts to antiparty activity.

    If the Sylva profile is not a puzzle I don’t know what else is.

    About 16 years ago, Alhaji Kwankwaso, then governor of Kano State, had gained quite a stature in the state and would so build on it that in the run-up to the presidential election he was quite a pillar in the APC house. Such was his relevance that when Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose was firing his ill-advised salvos against Candidate Buhari, it was Alhaji Kwankwaso who seemed to be speaking for the North in defence of not just the APC presidential candidate but also in defence of good old decency and propriety. The result of that election in the North spoke volumes of the efforts and loyalty of people like Alhaji Kwankwaso.

    Today Alhaji Kwankwaso is being accused by no less a person than a former protégé Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of plotting against President Muhammadu Buhari’s political ambitions.

    Is this what is usually referred to as the murky waters of politics, which can mean anything from the more you look the less you see, to you never know with politicians? Did Mr Sylva and Alhaji Kwankwaso show their good sides when they needed to, only to reveal their true colours when they felt the time was ripe? Or is there a rock-solid conspiracy against them?

  • Our grouse about Sylva, by Bayelsa APC

    Our grouse about Sylva, by Bayelsa APC

    The aggrieved faction of the executive committee members of the All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State have said the only problem it has with former Governor Timipre Sylva is the list of appointments he sent to the Federal Government.

    The party officials, who consisted of embattled Chairman Tiwei Orunimighe; his deputy, Eddy Julius and the Secretary, Marlin Daniel, spoke in Yenagoa, the state capital, after meeting with local governments’ party chairmen at APC’s state secretariat.

    They were said to have discussed the crisis in the state’s chapter of the party apart.

    Addressing reporters after the meeting, Daniel said Sylva ignored their entreaties to consider the interest of the party before submitting the list.

    The party’s secretary said the former governor compiled the list unilaterally and submitted it without consulting the executive members.

    He said those in the list were not APC members.

    Daniel said: “Of recent, there has been problems between Chief Sylva, myself, the chairman, the deputy chairman and other members of the party, including local government and ward chairmen. We think there has been so much propaganda and blackmail and we felt it is wise for us to let the public know what transpired.

    “The party demanded the withdrawal of a list that was submitted by Sylva solely for appointments because we did not know how he came up with that list.

    “Under normal circumstance, Sylva was supposed to liaise with the leadership of the party before submitting that list. He submitted the list without the party knowing, without the party knowing those on the list. We heard this information, so we went to him last Wednesday and confronted him. He didn’t deny. He said: ‘Yes, it is just for some other things’ and we told him it was not right, sir.

    “We took the party to Bayelsa State. He was in Abuja while we took the party to the other state. If anything is coming, at least we should know, as leaders of the party. When we inquired to know the names of people on the list, we discovered that half of them were not even registered members. In fact, some of them are not even politicians. We do not know them; we do not know where they were coming from.

    “So, we objected. We spent more than three hours with him. The meeting lasted till past two in the morning of last Thursday. He told us he could not tamper with the list he had submitted.

    “We pleaded for two of the five, but he said no. In fact, at a point we pleaded for one appointment so that those who had suffered with the party could manage that. But he refused. In fact, he said we should not rock the boat and that we should look for vacant places we could pursue it together.”

    Daniel said after the meeting, they party leaders reported the matter to the national secretariat and later addressed a media briefing in Abuja.

    The secretary faulted Sylva for saying Governor Seriake Dickson was sponsoring them, a statement he described as unfounded.

    He said: “Our position is for him (Sylva) to address the issue. What we are saying is that Sylva submitted some names that we do not know and that the party was not consulted. We want the party to nominate people among the five persons so that the party can have a sense of belonging. We do not have anybody representing us…”