POLITICS
Sylva Seeks Bayelsa Return to Ruling-APC
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
The All Progressives Congress Governorship candidate in Bayelsa state for the November 11 election and the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timpere Sylva has implored the people of the state to vote for APC, to avoid the state remaining in opposition, as the state will benefit maximally from the ruling party, with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed as president.
Sylva stated this while addressing party supporters on his triumphant entering into the state after his emergence as the flag bearer of the party on the 14 and 15th April 2023.
According to him, Bayelsa has remained too long in opposition and that has eluded the state from benefitting from the central government.
” To link with the Federal government is pertinent, than being in opposition, a lot which the state would have benefitted had eluded us”
He said, hence, his government this time around will attract development to the state, “we can’t remain in opposition and expect development maximally from the central government”
Sylva said despite all the monies the state has being receiving from the Federal government, there is no commensurate evidence to show,but if voted into power his government would bring a lot of change to the state.
He listed that his government would among other things stabilize power,restore the Peace park, an international tourism centre. Saying all the establishment he established has been abandoned and now moribund as Bayelsans are denied where to go for recreation and picnic.
” We will also stabilize power and we are back again and want partner to bring development and progress to the state.
He said the state has the wherewithal to produce light with abondance of gas in the state, adding that, with light industries and investors would be attracted to you the state and jobs will be created for the teeming unemployed youths, describing the prosperity government as voodoo.
“One of the worst incompetent way to produce jobs to is give every employment unsustainably , how many job can you give to Bayelsans unsustainably.The only panacea to unemployment is to provide a sustainable job is to establish industries”
” My government will also tackle frontally the flooding problem with the best internationally approved standard”
He said the state has all it takes to fight the annual menace and is poised to create and produce power which will attract industries which will employ our youths sustainably and power will create industries for massive employments .
He described Yenagoa as a big village lacking all indices of a state capital and promised to bring true prosperity against the voodoo Prosperity of the present government.
“Talk of prosperity.I laugh.This is not true prosperity.During my tenure over 250 youths were sent abroad for training and today they are self employed, that is what l am talking about as a lot of them are in NNPC “
He also disclosed that he sent some youths to Thailand for training, as there are ample abundant opportunities to be explored to bring all these opportunities.” No more voodoo Prosperity as APC and Sylva is back”
While speaking with journalists, the state chairman of APC in the state, Dr. Barr. Denis Otiotio, said the teaming supporters of the Party in the state troupe out in there large numbers to received their leader and the Party governorship candidate Chief Timipre Sylva.
He said, this is the first time there candidate is coming back home after there last primaries, saying that is why the Party deem it fit and necessary to welcome him.
“He has been the sole sponsor of the Party in the state, in the previous Election, he has been the pillar behind the Party. He has been the sole financier of the Party. The people felt that there is need to show him love since he has become the Governorship candidate of the Party in BAYELSA state”.
“We will move and mobilize all the ways to make sure is elected into office as the governor of BAYELSA state come November 11th 2023”.
It would be recalled that the All Progressives Congress held it’s Governorship primary on the 14 and 15th April 2023 that produced chief Timipre Sylva who was also the former Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Otiotio said, the great executive members of the Party has constituted a reconciliation committee headed by His Royal Highness, Millionaire Ambaowei. “We are on track. Their is always aggrieved members after any elections. The duty of the reconciliation committee is to reconcile all aggrieved members so that we can we present a common front to face the incumbent”.
On the deputy governorship candidate, the chairman said they will followed all due process according to INEC guidelines. Saying they cannot unveil there governorship candidate without INEC publishing the name. “Before we unveil him, we will inform everybody”. he said
By David Torough, Abuja
A group of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in Zamfara State has urged the party’s National Chairman, Umar Ganduje, to reject any attempt by Governor Dauda Lawal to defect to the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
The group, operating under the banner of Zamfara APC Supporters (ZAS), issued a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, accusing Governor Lawal of seeking political refuge in the APC to evade corruption investigations.
Comrade Muttaka Ibrahim Ruwan Bore, who chairs the group, said the governor’s alleged plan is driven by fear of prosecution over reported links to former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and ex-Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele.
He described the move as an attempt to secure a “soft landing” by aligning with the ruling party in order to shield himself from ongoing investigations.
“Dauda always boasts that the people voted for him. We are saying he should remain in the Peoples Democratic Party and test his popularity to see if he can secure even 20 percent of the votes.
“We are not asking him to join us, but it would be better for him to test his popularity come 2027.”
“Governor Dauda wants to reap where he did not sow,” Bore said. “We, the APC members in Zamfara, are satisfied with our current leaders and do not welcome an additional burden.”
The group listed notable party stalwarts in the state—including former governors Ahmad Sani Yarima, Mamuda Shinkafi, Abdul’aziz Yari, and Bello Matawalle—as respected leaders who have maintained the party’s grassroots strength.
Bore further claimed that Dauda’s alleged defection bid was a calculated strategy to gain political cover if he loses his re-election bid in 2027.
He insisted that the governor is trying to use the APC as a shield against possible criminal charges linked to financial misconduct, stressing that “the party does not support corruption.”
“Our party is corruption-intolerant,” he said. “We cannot accept anyone with baggage from past misdeeds.”
Governor Dauda, a former banker, has faced criticism since taking office in 2023 under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), with opponents pointing to his alleged ties to controversial figures as a source of concern.
The APC, which lost the governorship in the last general election, has remained a dominant political force in Zamfara, largely due to the continued influence of its former governors.
As political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, defections are expected to shape the race.
However, the ZAS group warned APC members to remain vigilant and guard the party against being used as a “haven for those seeking to escape justice.”
“We will continue our advocacy and ensure that our party remains a home of integrity,” Bore said .
The South-East bloc of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to reconsider its relationship with the party if the zone was denied the position of the party’s National Secretary.This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of South-East PDP Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) meeting held on Wednesday in Enugu.
The document was signed by Chief Ali Odefa, Chairman, PDP, South-East Zone. He said the ZEC unanimously recommended Mr Sunday Udeh-Okoye for the office of national secretary of the party. “Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South-East PDP regarding the Office of the National Secretary is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves.“However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the party, the South- East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward,” he said.Odefa urged PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to uphold its decision at its 600th meeting on April 29 which allowed the party’s Deputy National Secretary to function as Acting National Secretary.This, he said, would be pending the time a substantive national secretary would be confirmed.“The South-East ZEC further noted that the zone had to go through this process for the umpteenth time, unlike what obtains in the filling of vacant national offices by other zones.“It is recalled that the South East ZEC met in October 2023 and nominated Udeh-Okoye to serve out the remaining term of the National Secretary.“This position was reaffirmed during the Feb. 20, 2024 meeting of the PDP South-East ZEC. We also reiterated this during the meeting of ZEC in Enug today,” Odefa said.The zonal chairman said that South-East had consistently served as PDP stronghold from the inception of the party.He said that while the party had been losing key members following post-2023 general election, the South-East PDP was at the vanguard of strengthening the party by rallying major opposition figures into its fold.“In Enugu State, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party is back to the PDP; two members of the House of Representatives are equally back from Labour Party.“Furthermore, PDP seats in the Enugu State House of Assembly have grown from 10 at the inception of the Assembly to 20 today,’’ he said.He recalled that on March 21 the Supreme Court brought to a close the protracted legal tussle over the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.According to him, the apex court, in its ruling, held that the issue of the leadership of a political party was the internal affairs of the affected party.“The PDP Governors’ Forum, at its April 14, 2025 meeting held in Ibadan recommended that the South-East PDP should nominate a candidate.“This followed the consideration of the report of the panel it set up to review the Supreme Court judgment.“Their position is that the candidate would serve out the remaining tenure of the National Secretary of the Party zoned to the region,’’ Odefa said. (NAN)
The Senate has confirmed the appointment of five Resident Electoral Commissioners of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).Report says that their confirmation followed the presentation of the report of Committee on INEC at plenary on Wednesday.The report was presented by Chairman of the committee, Sen.
Simon Lalong (APC-Plateau). Report says that the RECs confirmed were: Umar Garba, representing Kano, Sa’ad Idris (Bauchi) and Chukwemeka Ibeziako (Anambra), Umar Mukhtar (Borno) and Dr Johnson Sinkiem (Bayelsa). Lalong, in his presentation, said that the committee considered the resume, work experiences and career progression of the nominees during their screening.He said that the nominees responded to questions successfully, adding that they were all qualified for the appointment.“After carefully scrutinising all the relevant documents of the nominees and due consideration of their levels of exposure, experiences, performances, qualifications and integrity, this committee hereby recommends that senate confirm the nominees,” he said. (NAN)
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