Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The undercurrent and cold war between two gladiators in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Heineken Lokpobiri and Timipre Sylva are not only threatening the fortune of the party in the November 16 governorship election but also tearing APC apart.
Sources close to both camps hindged the escalating situation on the rivalry, personality ego and strong disagreement between the duo over the mode of party primaries adopted by the national leadership of the party.
Credible party sources in Bayelsa claimed that the rancour between the duo dated back to the 2015 Bayelsa governorship election when Lokpobiri, then Minister of State for Agriculture, allegedly sabotaged Sylva’s campaign to win the state.
The party sources further claimed that beyond Sylva’s determination to pay Lokpobiri back in his own coin, the ultimate result is the political calculations ahead of 2023 Bayelsa poll, arguing that both parties see it as winner-takes-all.
According to the source, Lokpobiri and Sylva’s initial fight over the 2019 guber ticket started when Lokpobiri was still a minister.
“Lokpobiri had upper hand then because of his status as minister while Sylva was ridiculed as not having enough money to finance the guber campaign. Now, Sylva is minister and Lokpobiri has reached out to him for settlement.
“He acknowledged him as his oga and wants his endorsement but Sylva is deliberately keeping his distance and has shunned Lokpobiri.
“From all indications, Sylva is set for battle with Lokpobiri as he has already pitched tent with David Lyon, to pick the party’s guber ticket.
“It is no news that the two gladiators have been involved in a cold war. Apart from the acrimony occasioned by the perception of treachery and sabotage, the long-time calculation for 2023 Bayelsa governorship race.
“The political calculation is that should the election go in favour of Lokpobiri, the chances of Sylva contesting and winning in 2023 is almost foreclosed because with Lokpobiri as governor, it would be impossible for Sylva to contest and win,” our source argued.
In fact, to actualise his determination to stop Lokpobiri, Sylva has successfully executed his first step to shut out Lokpobiri by anointing and ensuring the clearing of an aspirant, David Lyon, to contest the primary.
While admitting the tension the rivalry has created in the party’s national leadership, a member of NWC said that it had not been easy managing the situation.
He confessed that the postponement of the primary was a confirmation that the fight had spilled into the national leadership, factionalising them into two camps.
Apparently responding to the recent court order stopping the direct mode of primary due to the pressures from the two gladiators, the APC NWC had to issue a statement postponing the party primary to Saturday, August 31.
Defiling the continued protest by the loyalists of the duo on the mode of primary, the party in a statement signed by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu said: “The NWC has shifted the date for the Bayelsa governorship primary from Thursday, August 29 to Saturday, August 31, 2019.
“The party has also adopted the direct mode of primary in line with the written request of the Bayelsa State chapter and majority of the stakeholders.
“This is in compliance with the decision of the APC National Executive Committee (NEC), which grants state chapters and majority of party leaders in a state the right to decide on the mode of primary they wish to adopt,” the statement read.
Recently, Lokpobiri had while reacting to the relationship between Sylva and himself said: “I have no problem with Timipre Sylva. Sylva is a Bayelsa leader, just like we have other leaders here. I have no problem with him at all and I will never have a problem with him.
“The only way to avoid a disagreement that will arise from the primary is to conduct a credible and transparent primary; that is why in the wisdom of majority of the party, we are saying that indirect primary is the way to go.
“By the time all the delegates gather in a designated place, the winner will clearly emerge and the losers will know that they were given a fair chance to contest.
“What determines the failures and success of any party in an election is the quality of the candidate. If you have the highest quality of candidate, you have won the election by 50 per cent, but if you bring a candidate with a lot of questionable issues then, you fail in the election….,” he noted.