Sylva Appeals to JEGA to stop PDP primaries in Bayelsa [ThisDay]

Governor Timipre Sylva

By  Davidson Iriekpen and Chuks Okocha 

Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, has appealed to the Chairman of the Indepen-dent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, to direct the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to conduct a fresh governorship primary in the state.

He said the primary would amount to a contravention of Section 86 of the Electoral Act, 2010 

The governor in letter signed by his lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, argued that by scheduling to conduct a fresh governorship primary in the state, the party was about to change or substitute his name as its candidate for the governorship election.

Stating that he had not withdrawn his candidature to contest the governorship election on the platform of the party, Sylva contended that based on the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), once a political party has submitted the name of a candidate to INEC for a particular elective office, the political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute the name of that candidate.

The petition, dated November 15 read: “Following the publication of the time-table for 2011 general elections by your commission, the PDP duly set in motion the machinery for the conduct of governorship primaries in Bayelsa State to nominate its candidate for the governorship election in Bayelsa State that were scheduled to be held in April, 2011.

“The governorship primaries were duly held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on January 9, 2011 and at the end of the exercise (which was observed by officials of your commission), our client emerged the winner having scored majority of the valid votes cast.

The petition to INEC came as governors elected on the platform of the PDP also resolved to, once again, seek the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that Sylva got a chance to seek a second tenure.

THISDAY gathered that the PDP governors, led by the Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, met Monday night and resolved to plead the cause of Sylva.

Meanwhile, five out of the seven governorship aspirants qualified for the governorship primary election yesterday, protested to the national secretariat of the party claiming there was no delegate election in the state on November 14, as claimed by the Mohammed Wakil-led committee that allegedly conducted the election of ward delegates.

But one of the aspirants, Seraike Dickson, in a statement countered the allegations, saying the aggrieved aspirants were only acting out the script of Sylva.

He  said: “Six PDP Local Government chairmen out of eight addressed the press and affirmed that there were were congresses in all the wards. The acting (State) chairman of (PDP) Bayelsa affirmed it to be free and fair. The congresses were meant to elect ward delegates. Party men participated. It is mischievous for any body to claim that there were no congresses.”

“In anticipation of the ward congress of our great party to be held in Bayelsa state on the 14 of November 2011, we were at the state secretariat in Yenogoa as scheduled but were taken by surprise with the unimaginable conduct of the party representatives from the national secretariat and Hon. Dickson Seraike. We consequently call your attention to the following:

*That the party representatives from the national secretariat for the conduct of the ward congress arrived at the state party secretariat at about 2pm on the 14 November 2011 and left five minutes later, stating that they were going to report their presence to the Commissioner of Police and Director of the State Security Service in Bayelsa state to enable them sign certain documents, but never returned.

*That the said representatives did not come with any materials or documents to state party secretariat at Onopa Yenogoa.
*That the Ad-hoc delegate congress scheduled for Monday 14 November 2011 in Bayelsa state did not take place in any of the 105 wards in the state.

*That this position is a collaboration of the radio and television announcement by the state party executive body to the effect that the congress did not take place in Bayelsa state.”

They asked the NWC to call to order those it sent to conduct the ward congresses and also “send a different set of unbiased officials to conduct the ward congress in Bayelsa state, postpone the date of the primaries and slate a new date for the primaries.”

They also called for the “immediate suspension of Hon. Dickson Seriake from the party and his disqualification from contesting the election on account of his false claim and misrepresentation of truth that has brought the party into disrupt in the state.”

But one of the aspirants, Seraike Dickson, in a statement countered the allegations, saying the aggrieved aspirants were only acting out the script of Sylva.

He  said: “Six PDP Local Government chairmen out of eight addressed the press and affirmed that there were were congresses in all the wards. The acting (State) chairman of (PDP) Bayelsa affirmed it to be free and fair. The congresses were meant to elect ward delegates. Party men participated. It is mischievous for any body to claim that there were no congresses.”

“The five aspirants who claim there were no congresses are Governor Sylva agents and they are being used by the governor to discredit the PDP and the congresses.”