From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A leadership crisis is brewing at the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Bayelsa State chapter as two people are laying claims to the chairmanship seat.
Mr Kevin Birisibe Kiyansele in an interview claimed he is a factional chairman of the party and threatened to drag Mr Brisibe Henry Kpodoh to court for parading himself as the chairman of the party.
According to him Kpodoh is no longer a member of the party having been expelled from the party in 2002 for misconduct and anti-party activities.
Kevin, who stated that the national headquarters of the party sent representatives to the state to intervene in the crisis, warned that aggrieved members might resort to litigation if the matter is not resolved.
He said Kpodoh is a civil servant and is not eligible to lead the party in the state adding that he has been using his position to negotiate with the ruling People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in the state.
“The issue is that one Brisibe Henry Kpodoh is parading himself as the Chairman of APGA. There was no time that Henry Brisibe Kpodoh had been the chairman of APGA.
“Kpodoh was actually brought by a leader of the party. He was to be foisted on us and we said no because he has never been an APGA man. He is a member of AAP.
“We had our congress at our party secretariat and I became the acting Chairman and later confirmed as Chairman of the party in the state.
“We have written several letters to our national headquarters’ team that were sent from Abuja to look at the issues affecting the party in Bayelsa. Since then we have heard nothing and Kpodoh is still parading himself as the Chair. He is a Civil Servant who works with the Judiciary. There is no time that he joined APGA.
“We need the national headquarters to look into the issue of Kpodoh otherwise we would have no option than to take legal action. We have tried our best. We have exercised enough patience.”
Kpodoh who is also the Chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council (IPA) in interview insisted he is the chairman of APGA in the state and dismissed all the claims of Kelvin.
According to him he is duly recognised by the national headquarters and working with the party to ensure it fields credible candidates for the 2023 election.
Kpodoh said the party secretariat is located at Isaac Boro Expressway Yenagoa stressing that Kelvin and his group are interlopers that risks arrests if they continue to create an imaginary crisis in the party.
“I don’t want to dignify them with a response. But I can tell you that I am the Chairman of APGA in Bayelsa. There is no leadership crisis. The national headquarters have been in touch with me and I just came back from Abuja where I went to present some House of Assembly candidates to the party leadership.”
