The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State are engaged in a war of words over the plot raised by the former to frame and arrest its governorship candidate and former Minister of State Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva.
The APC said at the thick of the plot is Bayelsa state governor, Senator Douye Diri, who intends to use the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) to make Sylva look guilty of crimes he had not committed on purpose to distract and dissuade him from effectively pursuing his petition at the state governorship election tribunal against Diri’s declaration as governor-elect.
APC publicity secretary, Mr Doifie Buokoribo, said EFCC officials have been instigated on a fishing expedition to initiate arrest and prosecution against Sylva on trumped up charges, particularly, bordering on his tour of duty as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
He said, “This is all in a bid to distract the APC candidate, and hinder effective pursuit of his petition at the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
“Senator Diri knows full well that he did not win the November 11 governorship poll; he knows without a doubt that he is holding a stolen mandate that would soon revert to the rightful owner.
“Chief Timipre Sylva and APC trust the capacity of the judiciary to do justice in the Bayelsa State governorship election litigation.
“APC would like to use this medium to warn Diri and PDP to desist from their conspiratorial activities against Sylva at the EFCC. We also wish to advise the EFCC to resist any temptation to get entangled in the political chicanery of the sinking governor and his party.”
The PDP in its reaction dismissed the allegations urging Sylva and the APC to leave Diri out of his predicament.
Publicity secretary of the party, Ebiye Ogoli said Sylva and the APC, having lost badly in the election, were engaging in another round of misleading and vexatious propaganda designed to hoodwink gullible Bayelsans.
Ogoli described Sylva, as a bad loser who has refused to acknowledge and accept the outcome of the November 11 governorship election as a free, fair and transparent poll.
“The election was widely judged by various local and international observers as one of the cleanest in recent times conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, in which incumbent Governor Douye Diri was re-elected via a landslide.
“May we remind Chief Sylva and his deceptive cohorts in his party that the EFCC is a federal anti-corruption organ that is not within the remit or under the control of Governor Diri.
“We maintain that the PDP or Senator Diri was never involved in the running of the office of the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and if there are issues arising therefrom, it is not the business of the State Governor or our Party. So, we advise Sylva to face his travail (if any) and leave Governor Diri out of it.’’
