Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The peace talks initiated by the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through the Senator Bukola Saraki-led peace committee to broker peace within the Bayelsa chapter of the party especially, with a frontline governorship aspirant, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe over the outcome of the governorship primaries has collapsed.
After the initial belief that the Saraki committee was making progress, such hope has fizzled out with the party Chairman, Mr. Moses Cleopas, launching a blistering attack on Alaibe blaming him for some defections that has hit the party.
While dismissing the defections of those he called “passive members of PDP” he noted that the party was not under any threat from the All Progressives Congress (APC). He reassured Bayelsans that PDP as a party was stronger and more united as shown by the massive crowd of supporters that have been attending its rallies across the state.
According to him, supporters of Alaibe whose original motive was to support him under the platform of the ADC were readmitted into the PDP with him in November are the ones leaving for their party. “Alaibe’s supporters whose original objective was to support him on the platform of the ADC came to fight within the party and these are the purported party leaders who are leaving. They all came with him from the APC in November last year,” he said. However, in a swift reaction, Special Assistant to Alaibe, Enize Ogio, in a statement entitled: ‘Stop Further Self-Destruction’, said Cleopas “unreservedly lied to the public” when he blamed Alaibe for the defections suffered by PDP ahead the November 16 governorship election.