From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State have passed a vote of confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over their leadership direction and proper discharge of their constitutional duties.
The vote of confidence on Sylva is coming on the heels of attempts by some members of the party to challenge his leadership position ahead the commencement of congresses in the state.
Mr Jotham Amos, acting Bayelsa Chairman of the Extraordinary Caretaker Committee of the party, who moved the motion, said the duo of Buhari and Sylva are high performers.
‘Unless you don’t want to see what the president is doing, you will say he is doing nothing. It is the same with the minister. You can see what he is doing in different places. That is why we are passing a vote of confidence on the president and the Minister, Chief Timipre Sylva because under them, the country is moving forward,’ he said.
The chairman’s motion was overwhelmingly supported by members of the stakeholders meeting who eulogised the president and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
Also speaking, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress from Sagbama, Hon. Francis Kolokolo said Sylva as the leader of the party has put time and resources to ensure that the APC in Bayelsa remains united and formidable even in the face of daunting challenges.
Meanwhile the party has decided to set up an Elders Council to work with the state leadership of the party to move APC forward in the state.
According to the resolution passed by the party, the yet to be constituted elders council would among other things play an advisory role and reconcile aggrieved members of the party, especially those responsible for the opening of a parallel state secretariat.
The member of the Federal House of Representative representing Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency, Hon Preye Oseke in a second motion, called for the setting up of an Elders’ Council for the party, declaring that if constituted, the elders’ council in collaboration with the state executive committee would engender unity and cause the party to wax stronger in the state.
‘Each constituency is to be represented at the proposed elders’ council while one woman from each local government is to be part of the council.’
On his part, the member of the Federal House of Representative representing Nembe/Brass Federal Constituency, Hon Israel Sunny-Goli, advised members to imbibe the tenets of internal democracy at the forthcoming APC ward, local and state congresses in the state.