Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has blamed the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole and the Minister of State for Petroleum and former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva for the February 13 violence that swept across Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital after the Supreme Court sacked Chief David Lyon as governor-elect.

Diri who stated this in Yenagoa on Thursday after an inspection tour of places destroyed during the violence said his government would not condone acts of violence.

Places Diri, his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudajakpor, the Secretary to the State Government, Hon Friday Konbowei Benson , the Chief of Staff, Chief Benson Agadaga and other top government functionaries visited include the home of the immediate past governor, Seriake Dickson, Diri’s private residence, Steve Azaiki public library, PDP Secretariat, the Judiciary complex and Radio Bayelsa.

In an interview after the tour, Diri expressed sadness over the level of destruction and accused Oshiomhole and Sylva of instigating the crisis.

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According to him APC has a party has always been associated with crisis which was manifested during the build up to the November 16 governorship election.

His words: “Because of what the APC national chairman said in Abuja where he declared that the Supreme Court which is the apex Court in the land, having giving the ruling that it will not stand.

He declared that there will be no Governor in Bayelsa state that was what ignited protest back home here. APC is always associated with violence, you recalled that two days to my election, I went to campaign in Nembe and we were attacked just to go and campaign, and we lost about 20 of our party faithful.

He continued “Radio Bayelsa is the public property of Bayelsa state, so assuming the APC were in government, wouldn’t they use the same radio Bayelsa. The judiciary is the property of the Bayelsa state, assuming they were in government wouldn’t they go to Court. They visited Steve Azaiki library, and when you see the level of destruction there, you begin to wonder, even at war, there are certain places that are marked as sacred, Churches, schools, libraries are not touched. But you begin to wonder if these people are from the Stone Age, a library was touched to that level, I am short of weeping and cry for our state, Bayelsa.

Diri lamented that money that would have been used for other development projects and empowerment of Bayelsans would be used to replace damaged property.