Sylva may sue APC for Bayelsa primary

A former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva may sue the All Progressives Congress (APC), if the party insists on cancelling last Tuesday’s controversial primary held in Yenagoa, the state capital.

Following reports of violence, intimidation and harassment, which marred the primary, the party, through its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, cancelled it.

APC said a new date would be fixed to conduct another primary.

But Sylva said he remained the party’s candidate for the December 5 governorship election.

In a statement by his campaign orgsnisation’s spokesman, Mr. Doifie Buokoribo, the former governor described as misleading and untrue reports that APC’s September 22 primary was cancelled or rescheduled.

The statement said Sylva won the primary, adding that it was conducted in accordance with the party’s rules and guidelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The statement said: “We want to state categorically that since the primary was conducted according to the rules and duly won by Sylva, he remains the candidate of the APC in Bayelsa State; any statement to the contrary is a mere rumour.

“The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, does not have the powers to unilaterally annul a state primary. We are even shocked that he allowed his name to be used when he has not even received the report from members of the electoral panel.”

But there were reports that the party’s leadership had fixed next Tuesday as a new date for a fresh primary.

It was gathered that the Chairman of the Electoral Panel and Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole had threatened to step down but was prevailed upon by the party’s leadership to conclude the primary.

Oshiomhole would be joined by two other governors to conduct the fresh primary.

Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and another governor from the Southwest were reportedly being considered to participate in the primary.

But it was learnt that Sylva might go to court, if the party conducted a fresh primary.

The Timipre Sylva Campaign Organisation dismissed the report that another primary would be conducted tomorrow.

The organisation, in a statement by Buokoribo, said that there was no way a fresh primary could be organised on Tuesday.

Buokoribo said any attempt to hold a fresh primary would amount to an act of “illegality”.

He said: “Let us restate here that an APC candidate for the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State has emerged and that candidate is Chief Timipre Sylva. No amount of media manipulation can change that. This is a society of law and order.

“The latest disinformation through the media goes to show the level of desperation of some people who want the APC governorship ticket through the back door. An election was conducted, Sylva won, the whole world has seen it.

“Besides, there is no way a hopelessly compromised Oshiomhole, who has also openly displayed his bias, can be asked again to conduct an election in Bayelsa State. Even his masters know that will be unacceptable to Nigerians.

“Similarly, as at Saturday, September 26, Tambuwal was in far away New York attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) while (Ogun State Governor Ibikunle) Amosun is attending Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Are they going to conduct a virtual election?

“Despite the orchestrated lies and disinformation, the Sylva Campaign will again urge our teeming supporters to be law-abiding, peaceful but resolute. Victory is sure.”