Allowing invalid delegates from Bayelsa is a trap to scuttle National convention” – Aggrieved APC members tell Gov. Mai Mala Buni

Aggrieved members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State have raised an alarm over the allege plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to use the unresolved crisis in some states particularly Bayelsa to scuttle the Febuary 26 National Convention of the Party.

The Aggrieved members of the party in a letter sent to the Yobe State State Governor and National Caretaker Chairman of the Party, Gov. Mai Mala Buni warned that the refusal of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva to convened a stakeholder of the party to resolve the factional crisis of the party as agreed with the reconciliation committee is a trap set to truncate the National Convention as the Executives set up at the ward, local government and State are invalid delegates.

According to the aggrieved party members, under the aegis of the grassroot Mobilizers Forum of APC, Bayelsa State Chapter, the purportedly elected Officers of the party in the state should not be invited or allowed to come close to the forthcoming National Convention in order to save the party’s fortune.

The grassroot Mobilizers Forum of APC, Bayelsa State Chapter, in a statement sent to NAIJA LIVE TV and signed by its Chairman, Elder Idutimi Komonibo, the Secretary-General, Barr. Dallas Ebibi and the Vice Chairman, Reuben Wilson, stated that in order to put the records correctly, and to save the forthcoming National Convention of APC, we wish to further communicate to you in writing the “TRAP” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set to fault the National Convention.

According to the statement, “With due respect Sir, the “BAIT” the PDP is using to set the “TRAP” is the “INVALID DELEGATES”. That the Bayelsa State purported elected officers from Wards, LGA and State should not be accepted or inaugurated and that Bayelsa State purported Elected Officers should not be invited or allowed to come close to the forthcoming National Convention in order to save the party’s fortune.”

“That when an order of Court injunction is issued and an appeal is filed to vacate that order, it has given life to that order until the appeal Court Makes a Pronouncement. This area should be properly looked into by an independent team of lawyers. 4) That the party at the National level should rather invite only statutory Delegates in Bayelsa State to escape the legal issues that have being set or trapped by people’s Democratic Party (PDP).”

“We plead with the National Caretaker Committee, National reconciliation committee and the progressives Governors forum to prevail on Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum, Helneken Lokpobiri and Chief Lyon David Former Governor Elect to seek Political solutions in Bayelsa State APC, to address the disunity and withdraw all pending cases in Court.”

The aggrieved party members recalled that despite the contentious issues canvassed to the National Reconciliation Committee which resolved that Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of State Petroleum resources should call for a stake holders meeting in Bayelsa State to be hosted by Chief David Lyon to finally resolve all the crises rocking the Bayelsa APC and withdraw all pending Court Cases within 7 days and report back to the Committee, nothing has been done.
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According to the group, “the decision to unite the factions of APC in the State by the National Reconciliation Committee has been paid a deaf ear and the signals are clear that someone somewhere is planning Evil against the Party for disobeying the directive of the National Reconciliation Committee. This again is very worrisome indeed.”

They explained that the invalid status of the party executive purportedly elected during the contentious Ward,local government and state congresses, was procured due to a court order issued to stop the ward, Local and State congresses respectively in the High Court at Yenagoa by aggrieved members of APC.

“Within the period the order was issued, the APC through their legal counsel filed an appeal in the court of Appeal, Port Harcourt with Appeal No CA/PH/246/2021 to vacate the order.Within the same period as the appeal is still pending in Court of Appeal, the APC State Secretary of Bayelsa State wrote a letter dated 2 nd of September 2021 to INEC to witness the Ward and LGA Congresses which was scheduled by them for 3rd and 4th September, 2021 respectively.”

“A two days’ notice is a violation of the electoral law. While the electoral law says 21 days’ notice must be given to INEC to witness any political party congresses. Also their action was a contempt of Court by conducting Congresses while the Court order was still subsisting in suit No. CA/PH/246/2021. (That the law says anyhow an order of Court injunction is stupid, it should be obeyed).”

“The Appeal Court said that, the Appeal filed by the APC to vacate the order in Bayelsa State Ward, LGA & State congresses is fundamentally defective. In a unanimous Judgement the Court went on to say that the congresses conducted within that period is invalid. By that pronouncement of the Appeal Court all the purported elected officers in those congresses are invalid”
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“The Court of Appeal went on to say that the respondent in the Appeal can file for a contempt of Court against the appellant by disobeying the Court order of the trial Court.All the Court cases and the processes served that are stated in this letter is with the legal department of APC at the National Secretariat, Buhari House No 40 Blantyre Crescent Wuse Abuja.”

“We therefore recommend as follows that the Bayelsa State purported elected officers from Wards, LGA and State should not be accepted or inaugurated. That Bayelsa State purported Elected Officers should not be invited or allowed to come close to the forthcoming National Convention in order to save the party’s fortune.”

“That when an order of Court injunction is issued and an appeal is filed to vacate that order, it has given life to that order until the appeal Court Makes a Pronouncement. This area should be properly looked into by an independent team of lawyers. That the party at the National level should rather invite only statutory Delegates in Bayelsa State to escape the legal issues that have being set or trapped by people’s Democratic Party (PDP).”

“Finally, we plead with the National Caretaker Committee, National reconciliation committee and the progressives Governors forum to prevail on Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum, Helneken Lokpobiri and Chief Lyon David Former Governor Elect to seek Political solutions in Bayelsa State APC, to address the disunity and withdraw all pending cases in Court.”

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