… As leaders consider massive support for Diri

By A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

This is certainly not a good time for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State.

The party is facing issue of eligibility by Mr. Joshua MacIver, the running mate to the Governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva.

MacIver is believed to have lied on oath while filling his form by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) when he declared that he has never been an ex-convict.

The recent unpleasant findings about the running mate may likely put the joint APC guber ticket in jeopardy and nullify the party’s participation in the November 11 Governorship election.

A cross-section of the leaders of APC in Bayelsa State are deeply worried about the future of the party under Chief Sylva, who runs the party as a sole administrator.

A chieftain from Oluasiri in Nembe Local Government area, Chief Felix Barigha, said it is frustrating to see the ways and manner the party is managed with mistakes and legal landmines.

“While we are still thinking of the court disputes hanging over the party State Executive, the choice of our running mate was made by Sylva without allowing proper consultations, suggestions or inputs.

“He even gave false hopes to so many persons for the running mate just to keep them in the party. The eventual choice of MacIver brought a lot of disquiet among leaders of the party. Many leaders and key stakeholders were very angry with Sylva for picking an ex-militant and sacrificing excellence.

“And sadly, Sylva failed to do any due diligence about the personality and credentials of the running mate,” Chief Barigha stated.

He continued: “Chief Timipre Sylva will never learn. The same thing he did in 2019 that caused us our victory with Senator Degi. Why will he be nominating an ineligible person? The candidacy of Sylva himself even brought so much division to the APC after he forced himself on the party. And now that we are trying to reconcile aggrieved members, this issue with MacIver has hit us. It’s sad, Sylva has successfully killed the party in Bayelsa State because of greed and lack of adequate consultations.”

In a swift response to the recent developments with APC and MacIver, some leaders of the party are considering the possibility of supporting the incumbent governor, Senator Douye Diri, if and when APC is disqualified from participating in the election.

“This is a very bad case for APC. That there was a sentencing on a murder case against MacIver and that he escaped from prison are serious grounds for nullification the joint ticket with Sylva. The Nigerian Constitution is very clear and explicit on grounds for eligibility for contesting political positions.

“Some of the leaders of the party are already looking at the possible way forward ahead of the election. We might just be left with the only available option and that is to support the incumbent, who is not even doing too badly. But time will tell.”

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