■ Police take over secretariat

FROM FEMI FOLARANMI, YENAGOA

CRISIS has hit the All Progres­sives Congress ( APC) in Bayelsa State, as the party has suspend­ed the chairman, Chief Timipa Tiwei Orunimighe, his deputy, Eddy Julius and secretary, Daniel Marlin.

The trio had in a press confer­ence made unsavoury statements against the governorship candi­date of the party, Chief Timipre Sylva and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.

Orunimighe had at a press conference, alleged that Sylva had hijacked the appointments meant for members of the party in the state and also asked Lokpobiri to resign as he is not a member of the party.

However aggrieved party members led by the Minority Leader in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon Israel Sunny- Goli had described as unfortunate the unfounded allegations the state chairman levied against Sylva and Lokpobiri.

Sunny- Goli in a press confer­ence in Yenagoa, while affirming that Sylva remains the leader of the party in the state dismissed the allegations made by Tiwei.

According to him, Tiwei wants to destroy the party as his attempts to land juicy appointment at the federal level has not materialised.

He stated that the party chair­man cannot be bigger than the party as APC, which is a disci­plined party would not condone behaviours that cast aspersion on leaders of the party.

“It is unfortunate that Tiwei would be making baseless alle­gations. His statement that Lok­pobiri is not an APC member is enough proof that he is afraid of the calibre of people coming into the party to help build it in the state. We can no longer accept his attitude as chairman. We cannot allow him to speak for the party again. Tiwei’s allegations are unfounded. The party would sit down and commence disciplin­ary actions against him to serve as deterrent to others. He has over prized himself and nobody is go­ing to take him serious. Since he could not get the running mate ticket, he has been bitter and seek­ing for ways to betray and destroy the party. We are aware of his role in the last governorship election and we know him for who he is,” Sunny- Goli said.

He enjoined members of the party in the state to remain calm as loyal members of the party, add­ing that plans to engineer crisis and polarised the party would fail.

The State Executive Com­mittee of the party in a statement signed by the Party’s Publicity Secretary, Hon. Panebi Fortune after an emergency meeting stated that the trio have been suspended indefinitely pending the conclu­sion of investigations against them.

Meanwhile armed policemen have taken over the party sec­retariat at Melford Okilo road, Yenagoa.

According to investigations the police deployed a contingent in seven Hilux trucks to the secre­tariat to ensure there is no break­down of law and order over plans by supporters of Orunimighe to frustrate disciplinary action against him.

When Saturday Sun got to the secretariat stern looking police­men were sighted at strategic lo­cations in the area.