Jonathan, Sylva absent as federal, state lawmakers boycott -Seriake Dickson emerges winner, three aspirants walk-out -INEC says court to determine validity of poll -Soldiers, policemen take over Yenagoa
THE ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is pressing ahead with efforts to confer legitimacy on the Bayelsa State governorship primary held yesterday in Yenagoa after three aspirants walked out of the venue of the election citing blatant fraud. One hundred and two delegates to the state congress disclaimed the primary.
President Goodluck Jonathan,an indigene of the state, the incumbent governor, Chief Timipre Sylva , the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),and most of the national and state legislators from the state were absent at the primary which went the way of Mr. Seriake Dickson,the man widely expected to win the ticket.
The acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje emerging from a meeting in Lagos yesterday with former President Olusegun Obasanjo told reporters that there was nothing new in the PDP’s decision to disqualify Gov. Sylva who, he said, knew why the party shut him out.
He said:” “PDP is fully on ground in Bayelsa. It is PDP state, we do not have any fear.
“The anxiety over the disqualification of Sylva is perhaps because he is a serving governor, And for the first time may be the PDP is disqualifying a serving governor. It has happened in a PDP state before in Anambra State, we disqualified a serving governor before, it is not new.
“We are not disqualifying Sylva because of anybody. We have our rules and regulations, and the constitution of the party. We are not very satisfied with some of the behaviour of Sylva, in line with the constitution of the party. We have drawn his attention to it, and he agreed with us.”
He denied reports that a Federal High Court restrained the PDP from holding the Bayelsa primary,arguing that what exists is a motion on notice.
An INEC source said yesterday that the drama thrown up by the PDP in Bayelsa would be resolved by the court.
Seven aspirants lined up for yesterday’s primary with Dickson as the anointed one but midway into the exercise three had walked out. Christopher Enai, Austin Febo and Boloubo Orufa said it reeked of fraud and insincerity.
Dickson got 365 of the votes cast.
Kalango Youpele had 2 votes; Fred Ekiyegha 2 votes.
Enai said the Caleb Olubolade -led Election panel promised to look into the alleged irregularities that attended the ward congresses but never did.
“The Panel said it would give us feedback, and we waited.Up till this moment we have not heard anything from them. I cannot be part of a fraudulent primary because we cannot return to the old method of running away with materials”, an angry Enai said as he stormed out of the venue.
He alleged that the results of the ward congresses were compiled and written somewhere by a particular aspirant.
Asked what would be his next line of action, Enai said “we will continue to push for the cancelation of the results; we will call for a better and credible primary to be conducted”.
Febo said:”The process is fraudulent. This is not a credible primary. We cannot continue to do illegal things always, and we should be seen to be moving forward and not backward. Party supremacy is guided by regulations but the foundation of the guidelines is not followed. Whatever candidate that emerges from here is illegal.”
In his acceptance speech, Dickson commended members of the Rtd Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade –led panel for a successful exercise saying they have laid the foundation for a new Bayelsa state..
Dickson promised to commence the process of reconciliation and appealed to PDP members in the state to join hands with him in building a new state.
“The new PDP in the state will depart from the former rancour. All PDP leaders in the state will be on board so that we can together secure our hope for a better tomorrow,” he said.
Explaining why they could not be part of the primary, the 102 delegates said it would have been ‘contemptous of a judicial order capable of bringing the judiciary into disrepute,” a reference to the order of the Federal High Court stopping the primary.
Yesterday’s primary was held under tight security.
Armed soldiers and policemen who had been deployed on the streets of Yenagoa ahead of the event remained at their duty posts including check points while the primary lasted.
As the accreditation of delegates got underway two military helicopters hovered round the state capital on surveillance .
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of Research and Planning, Force Headquarters, Mr. Mohammed Yusufu, personally led the police team to the venue. He was accompanied by Mr. Hilary Okpara, the state Police Commissioner.
In and around the premises scores of armed policemen took position in strategic places to ensure peace.
The State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Nathan Egba said of the unusual security arrangement:”It is a further show of intimidation, while their faction of PDP is going ahead with the accreditation of delegates for the Governorship primary in defiance of the Abuja High Court order.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission which the Electoral Act requires to observe party primaries the type held yesterday in Yenagoa stayed away on the strength of the court injunction. An official of the commission said the validity of the primary would be determined by the court. The official said it would not join the fray to avoid being accused of partisanship.
But the commission said it did not send observers to the primary election because it was duly served a Federal High Court order.
A highly-placed source in the commission, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent in Abuja, said: “We cannot invalidate the outcome of the primary in Bayelsa; only a competent court can do so. So, we won’t make any pronouncement on the legality or otherwise of the primary.
“We were served the order of the Federal High Court and in deference to the court we refused to observe the primary. Only the court can determine the validity of the primary election if there is any issue laid before it on the primary.”
“Section 85 of the 2011 Electoral Act says we may monitor the convention, congress of a political party to nominate candidates. Now that we were barred by an order of the Court, only the same Court can make a definite pronouncement on Bayelsa primary.
“The Court will have to take a decision on Bayelsa State based on Sections 31 and 85 of the Electoral Act. We are leaving the issue at that.
Responding to a question, the source added: “We do not want to join the fray and we do not want to be dragged into the matter beyond our respect for the Court by obeying its order.
“We will leave the court to interpret Sections 31 and 85 of the Electoral Act.”
“Section 31 says: “Every political party shall not later than 60 days before the date appointed for a general election under the provisions of this Act, submit to the Commission in the prescribed forms the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elections.
Section 85(1) and (2) reads: “A registered political party shall give the Commission at least 21 days notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of electing members of its executive committee, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under this Act.
“The Commission may, with or without prior notice to the political party, monitor and attend any convention, congress, conference or meeting which is convened by a political party for the purpose of (a) electing members of its executive committees or other governing bodies; (b) nominating candidates for an election at any level; and (c) approving a merger with any other registered political party.
At his interaction with reporters in Lagos acting national chairman of the PDP,Alhaji Baraje insisted that the public would soon know why Gov.Sylva was disqualified by the party.
The acting PDP chairman held a brief meeting with the board of trustees chairman of the party, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at the inner lounge of the Presidential Lounge of the Lagos Airport to examine the way forward for the ruling party in view current developments in Bayelsa State.
He explained that it was only natural for him to see Obasanjo and not ignore him , but make a brief stop to examine the way forward for the party.
Baraje said the Bayelsa governor violated the rules and regulations of the party and has admitted so.
Baraje explained that the PDP could not afford to make the offence public now to save the governor from ridicule adding that once the rimary is over the issue would be made public.
He said:”There was really no meeting with Obasanjo. I came on my own and met him here.We just met, as a former president , chairman of the board of trustees, we reviewed the situation of the party. It was a general talk about the party. I can assure you that there is no drama in Bayelsa. It is wrong to say that we have a court injunction. There is no court order, what we have is a motion on notice.
“What the PDP has is a court notice, motion on notice. The party was asked to show why, some of the prayers in the notice must not be granted. That is why we are going ahead with our congress.
I can assure you that INEC is part of the congress.
“If you want to know the offence of the governor, when the congress is over i will let you know. If we let the whole world know now, we are ridiculing Governor Sylva. He is still a respected member of the party. After the congresses, we will let the entire Nigeria know. The matter will not polarise the party.
“As a human being, nobody that is disqualified will be happy . If you are wounded, will you be happy? Naturally when disciplinary action is taken , you expect some people to be wounded, they will feel otherwise, we believe he will reason along with the party.
“So, there is no polarization .He will not be happy that he is disqualified, we have taken disciplinary action against some members of our party, but we kept it silent. Sylva’s matter is only an issue, because he is a serving governor facing an election.
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