Disquiet in Bayelsa APC over ex-Deputy Gov, Ottita Force members moves to dump APC for PDP

There is subtle but serious outcry among members of the All Progressive Congress in Bayelsa State over the rising cases of defection from the party to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) including the decision of the immediate past Deputy Governor of the State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd) and members of a socio-political group known as the Ottita Force led by his junior brother, Gabriel Jonah to return back to the ruling party in the state.

The duo of the former Deputy Governor of the State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd) and members of a socio-political group known as the Ottita Force led by his junior brother, Gabriel Jonah join force with the APC was due to the wrong handling of who succeed Former Governor Seriake Dickson by the PDP.

NAIJA LIVE TV gathered yesterday that the decision to return back to the PDP from the APC was informed by the failed party leadership style of the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva in the state. Sylva is allege to have refused to hold a serious stakeholders meeting with party chieftains and their followers amidst angst against his leadership style.

A senior Chieftain of the APC in the state revealed that the impeding defection of the immediate past Deputy Governor and his brother to PDP will spell doom for the APC in the Bayelsa East Senatorial district purportedly controlled by Chief Timipre Sylva,” Sylva does not know the gravity of what is going on in the APC. He is gradually losing control even in Bayelsa East. If Ogbolomabiri in Nembe is gone with the Jonahs, would he only be controlling Okpoama in Brass?”

On why the concerned party members have not reached out to him on these problems, the APC Chieftains declared that all entreaties to Chief Timipre Sylva to call a genuine stakeholder meeting fell on deaf ears. ”If you suggest a good way to resolve issue, once he went back to Abuja, he is doing a different thing. You were at the last stakeholder meeting on Party membership revalidation and registration, you saw the way he was talking to party chieftains. That is why most of the party chieftains collect his money and keep it for personal survival rather than working for any elections”.

Another chieftain of APC in the State, Hon. Sunday Frank Oputu also expressed misgivings over the rising cases of defection from the party in the state, attributing the loss of quality membership to the leadership style of Chief Timipre Sylva,” there is the need for an urgent stakeholder meeting of APC and the National Leadership. The youths, women and men are disenchanted with the APC.”

Frank-Oputu said “Chief Timipre Sylva is indifferent to the happening in the party. The members of the party are disconnected from their leader. Sylva believe that with all the monies acquired from the Ministry of Petroleum, he can buy back the members that had left the party.Sylva is not bothered about the happening in the party.”

While some Sylva faithful accused the Ex-Deputy Governor and his brother of being ungrateful and making unnecessary demands on the need for approval of an Oil license he applied for from the Federal Government, others believed that the duo of Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd) and his brother, Gabriel, were the brain behind the political victory achieved by the APC in Ogbolomabiri part of Nembe during the last Governorship election won and lost by the APC.

NAIJA LIVE TV also gathered that Chief Timipre Sylva, at the last stakeholder meeting held at the party secretariat in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State had informed the disgruntled party members to exercise patience till after the conduct of the party’s registration/revalidation of membership exercise before a key meeting to resolve existing contentious issues.

But a check at the secretariat of the party showed that the recorded successes of the Party membership registration/revalidation exercise was made possible by the efforts of notable party chieftains including the Former Minister, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Party’s Governorship flag bearer and member of the National Caretaker Committee of the party, Chief David Lyon, the former Acting Governor, Rt.Hon. Werinipre Seibarugu among others.

Already, the Governor Douye Diri and the PDP in the state are catching on the huge crack in APC and welcoming back chieftains of the Party that had hitherto left for the APC, ”While some were welcomed last fortnight, others including the former Deputy Governor and his brother will soon be welcomed back to our party”.

Investigations revealed that while the cookies crumble within the APC in Bayelsa, the PDP machinery led by Political Adviser to Douye Diri, High Chief Collins Corcordia is deep in talks with the duo of terms and conditions of return of the duo of Rear Admiral Jonah and his brother, Gabriel Jonah to the PDP.

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