Confusion has engulfed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State over the review of the list of delegates to be used by the party for its primary election ahead of the December 5 governorship election in the state.
It was gathered on Saturday that the intrigues over who controls the delegates’ list had further polarized the state APC along factional alliances.
Impeccable party sources revealed that the battle to control the delegates’ list was among the political camps of Timi Alaibe, Heineken Lokpobiri, Warman Ogoriba and the leader of the party and former governor of Bayelsa, Timipre Sylva.
Sylva, Alaibe, Lokpobiri and Ogoriba, among others, were said to be nursing governorship ambition.
Although Ogoriba had defected earlier, Alaibe and Lokpobiri were among the arrowheads that led the mass defections from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC during a mega rally in Yenagoa on August 15, 2015.
Impeccable party sources revealed that the controversy was sparked off last week after news filtered within the APC that the state chairman of the party and Sylva’s foot soldier, Tiwei Orunimighe, had masterminded the review of the list of delegates.
Investigations showed that in the conduct of primary election to nominate the party’s governorship flag-bearer, the constitution of the party empowers members of the State Executive Committee, local government and ward officials, among others, to be delegates.
It was learnt that Alaibe, Lokpobiri and Ogoriba were vehemently opposed to the move by Orunimighe to pull the wool over their eyes in the review of the delegates’ list.
Efforts to reach the threesome were unsuccessful but some of their loyalists confided in Sunday Independent that they were not taking the matter lightly.
They also debunked claims attributed to Peres Peretu, a member of the APC Board of Trustees (BoT) and former chairman of Sagbama Local Government Council that “a level-playing ground will be provided”.
“That will be deceitful. It’s all lies. The handwriting on the wall is very clear to discerning eyes,” said one of the loyalists who did not want to be named.
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