From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The suspension of the incumbent Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and others have been described as a joke taken too far beyond boundaries and calls for urgent reactions to put the records straight.

In a statement by Comrade Stanley Bolou-Ebi and Comrade Mercy Ineye, a Coalition of Concerned APC Stakeholders in Bayelsa State said, Eniekenemi Senator Mitin has no locus standi in the APC to suspend an incumbent Minister Heineken Lokpobiri and others, as the said Mitin is no longer the Chairman of APC in Ekeremor Local Government Area where the Minister hails from.

And secondly, the statement said, APC constitution is clear on disciplinary procedures on who has powers to suspend a member based on allegations of anti-party claims as orchestrated by the said Eniekenemi Senator Mitin.

According to the group, the sacked APC Ekeremor Local Government Chairman, Mitin Senator Eniekenemi, whose tenure has since elapsed and dissolved over a year ago by the decision of a Federal High Court in Bayelsa State has no right to suspend anybody.

“For the avoidance of doubt let it be stated that the power of suspension of a party member found wanting on allegations, is vested on the party’s ward executive and not on the LGA executive as Eniekenemi Mitin is only an impersonator and therefore lacks such powers to suspend an incumbent Minister who is not of the same ward as himself”.

“Minister Heineken Lokpobiri is of Ward 8 while Mitin is of Ward 10 both in Ekeremor LGA of Bayelsa State and therefore a member who is not a ward executive cannot suspend another member from a different ward.” The group cited.

They averred that this  jaundiced move by Eniekenemi Mitin and his co-sponsors, within and outside the APC, was to create an atmosphere of mischief and discord within the APC in Bayelsa State targeted at tarnishing the good image of the Minister so as to give the impression to the presidency and party’s national leadership, that Minister Lokpobiri, who is the leader of the party in Bayelsa State, as the current highest ranking officer of the party,  is not capable of handling the party affairs ahead of state and national congresses to elect new executives.

“We therefore state categorically & unequivocally that we the critical stakeholders of APC in Bayelsa State and FCT, are the grassroots champions of the party and our loyalty is firmly rooted on the serving Minister Lokpobiri of Petroleum of State (Oil) as we believe he is more than able to take the party to the next level in Bayelsa and at the national”.

“We therefore pass a vote of confidence on Minister Heineken Lokpobiri as the leader of APC in Bayelsa State as we call on him to remain focused and committed to the cause of implementing Mr President’s reforms in the Petroleum (oil) Sector so as to better the economic fortunes of Nigerians.”

According to the group, “The incumbent Minister Lokpobiri is on track and has our full support as grassroots stakeholders of the party. We call on him to remain focused and not be distracted by a disgruntled former APC Executive who is no match to knot his shoe lace. We call on the party’s national leadership to set up an adhoc disciplinary committee to investigate Eniekenemi Mitin and his co-sponsors and bring them to book for stirring the hornet’s nest at this suspicious time”.

The group further said, “The aim of Mitin was to cause mischief and incite the public against a Minister who is working hard to implement the economic reforms of Mr President in changing the narrative in the oil sector in a positive direction.”

The APC critical stakeholders also observed with dismay that there were misnomers in the press release by Eniekenemi Mitin who claimed that a disciplinary committee was set up since 2020, four years ago, to try the alleged offenders for anti-party activities of gross misconduct.

“We state that such claims of an adhoc disciplinary committee were never set up before the abrupt termination of the Mitin-led Local Government Executive in January last year by a High Court ruling”.

“We therefore state that the actions of Eniekenemi Mitin are criminal and tantamount to cyber stalking, defamation of character, and impersonation, likely to cause a breach of public peace within and outside the party and must be resisted by every well-meaning stakeholder in the APC”.

“We insist that the Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa Command should swifty investigate the actions of the said Mitin with a view to bringing him as culprit to book,” the group reiterated.

The group therefore urged Eniekenemi Mitin to retract his press statements on the alleged Minister’s suspension and others in twenty-four hours or risk being sued for defamation and contempt of Court!

They concluded that the Minister of State Petroleum (Oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiti has always been a party faithful with a peaceful mind who uses his goodwill to woo other opposition members to the APC and cannot delve into anti-party activities.

This they maintained is in tandem with the ideology of President Tinubu for an all-inclusive unity government.

It would be recalled that Mitin issued a press statement on Friday, October 11, 2024, purportedly suspending the incumbent Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and others.