PDP finally stops Sylva

The Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday finally scuttled the aspiration of Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, to run for a second time on its ticket.

 

The party released its "final batch" of cleared aspirants for the November 19 governorship primaries on Sunday, and the name of Sylva was not included.

 

Rather, his name made the list of disqualified aspirants that included the former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Mr. Timi Alaibe; Chairman of Silverbird Group, Mr. Ben Murray Bruce; and the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mr. Igali Godknows Boladet.

Reacting to the PDP verdict on Sunday, Sylva said the action of the party was against his fundamental human right to vote and be voted for as a full member of the party. He also said there were attempts to arrest him on trumped-up treasonable charges.

 

"The story is that there is a tape in which he threatened to kill President (Goodluck) Jonathan," a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Doifie Ola, said.

 

Bruce also said the decision of the PDP was unfair to him but that he had accepted the judgment. He assured his supporters that though he might not have the opportunity to become governor again, he remained committed to the fight for free and affordable education, quality healthcare, development of the agricultural sector and the dignity of the people of Bayelsa State.

 

A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, made available to journalists in Abuja, reads, "The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has concluded the review of the reports of the Screening Committee and Screening Appeal panel for the governorship primaries in Bayelsa State scheduled to hold on November 19, 2011.

 

"After a thorough review of the two reports, and after a painstaking examination of all the issues raised about each and every aspirant, the NWC has cleared seven out of the 11 aspirants that purchased forms to contest for the primaries.

 

"Those who were cleared and shall contest the governorship primaries are the following: Orufa Justine Boloubo, Dickson Seriake Henry, Enai Christopher Fullpower, Kalango Michael Youppele, Francis Amaebi, Ekiyegha Francis Korobido and Austin Febo.

 

"However, in this last and final batch, four of the aspirants did not scale through the party screening process and have therefore not been cleared to contest the primaries.

 

"Those not cleared are: Timi Alaibe, Ben Bruce, Timipre Sylva, and Igali Godknows Boladet."

The statement added that no further name would be released and that the decision by the party’s NWC on the list of those cleared was the final.

 

It said that all cleared aspirants would be issued with final clearance certificates to enable them stand for the primaries.

 

The PDP statement appeared to have put the final seal on the fate of the embattled governor’s second-term ambition on the platform of the party that brought him to power in 2007.

Sylva’s travail started on November 1 when the PDP ignored the governor in its first batch of cleared aspirants in the primaries.

 

Barely 24 hours after, lobbyists for Sylva, including his fellow governors and other chieftains of the PDP, stormed the Presidential Villa in Abuja to plead with Jonathan to give him a safe passage to second tenure.

 

Also, few hours after releasing the second batch of aspirants without Sylva’s name, federal lawmakers from Bayelsa wrote to tell the NWC of the PDP that it had no power to withhold the clearance of the governor to contest the primaries.

 

The lawmakers, made up of the three Senators from the state and four, out of five, members in the House of Representatives, said in their letter to the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, that since the governor had been screened and cleared by the screening panel, the party did not possess any power to withhold his name among those cleared to contest for the party’s ticket.

 

They said the NWC was already over-exercising its powers as stipulated in the party’s constitution.

Sylva was believed to have entered the bad book of the President in the run up to the 2011 presidential race when he was alleged to have surreptitiously backed another candidate against his kinsman.

The embattled governor had openly denied the allegation and claimed that it was the handiwork of his political enemies.

 

Curiously, the governorship screening committee for Bayelsa State had issued Sylva a Provisional Clearance Certificate which he brandished when flagging off his second term campaign in Yenagoa.

But the PDP in the statement on Sunday said, "For the avoidance of doubt, and in line with the provisions of our guidelines for primary elections, no aspirant can or should use a provisional certificate as a basis for unilaterally declaring himself or herself as a candidate of the party for the governorship election in Bayelsa State."

The statement by Sylva’s aide on Sunday reads, ""The attention of Chief Timipre Sylva, Governor of Bayelsa State, has been drawn to a statement by the NWC of the Peoples Democratic Party, disallowing him from participating in the governorship primaries scheduled for Saturday, 18 November 2011.

 

"Governor Sylva considers it disturbing that his full membership of the PDP is being abridged.

"In particular, his fundamental right to vote and be voted for has been trampled upon by his own party, a party he has contributed so much in building. Consequently, Sylva and his supporters are reviewing the NWC decision.

 

"Sylva notes that the NWC decision does not annul his membership of the PDP. As Governor of Bayelsa State under the platform of the PDP, Sylva remains the leader of the party in the state. As a loyal party person, he will participate in all party activities.

 

"Similarly, Sylva wishes to bring to the attention of the public reports alleging that there are attempts to arrest him on trumped-up treasonable felony charges.

 

"The story is that there is a tape in which he threatened to kill President Goodluck Jonathan. This is completely false.

 

"At no time did Sylva threatened to kill President Jonathan. He has no reason whatsoever to wish the president or any other person dead.

 

"Sylva enjoins the people of Bayelsa State, especially his numerous supporters to remain calm, law-abiding and hopeful.

"The people of Bayelsa State shall prevail."

Posted by: Silvanus. Lagos