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Sylva speaks:Baraje lied,calls Bayelsa PDP primaries a
charade
Newsdiaryonline Sun Nov 2011
Sylva
Bayelsa state
Governor Bayelsa State Governor has faulted the claims of acting
National Chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party PDP Kawu Baraje .Though Baraje claimed
“Chief Timipre Sylva,
had been told the reasons he was excluded from the governorship
primary and that such “sins” would be made public in due
course”,the governor challenged
“Baraje to come clean on these “sins”, perhaps, for
necessary ‘atonement’.”
Sylva who spoke through a statement by Doifie Ola his
chief press secretary
said, "at no time did Baraje discuss the so-called sins
with him. We are aware that the PDP national chairman has been
giving different “reasons” to different people on the illegal
exclusion of the governor. But at last, Baraje has exposed the
fact that there was no reason known to law and commonsense for
the exclusion of the governor. "
Sylva who said he is still in the PDP
added that what happened
in Yenagoa
on Saturday was a charade which cannot hold.
Read his statement below:
BAYELSA SHALL WITNESS DAYBREAK
In response to media reports in which the Acting National
Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu
Baraje, was quoted as alleging that the Bayelsa State Governor,
Chief Timipre Sylva, had been told the reasons he was excluded
from the governorship primary and that such “sins” would be made
public in due course, the governor challenges Baraje to come
clean on these “sins”, perhaps, for necessary “atonement”.
For the avoidance of doubt, Sylva says at no time did Baraje
discuss the so-called sins with him. We are aware that the PDP
national chairman has been giving different “reasons” to
different people on the illegal exclusion of the governor. But
at last, Baraje has exposed the fact that there was no reason
known to law and commonsense for the exclusion of the governor.
With Baraje’s tone of voice, we fear that after having excluded
Governor Sylva without any justification, there is now a
desperate attempt to cook up reasons, how ever untenable and
tenuous, as an afterthought.
Governor Sylva feels it is saddening that PDP is descending to
this level and believes they are up to something sinister.
Sylva has served the PDP and the people of Bayelsa State
creditably well. So, it is for the people of Bayelsa State to
reject him at the poll if they do not want him as their governor
anymore. It is illegal and unjust for PDP to exclude the
governor from contesting without any cogent reason.
Baraje also alleged in the report that Sylva’s case is not the
first time a sitting governor would be disqualified by PDP,
saying it had happened in the case of the former Anambra State
governor, Chinwoke Mbadinuju.
We wish to refresh the memory of Baraje, if he does not know or
has forgotten, that Mabadinuju was never disqualified by PDP. He
contested the party primary and was rigged out. But in the case
of Bayelsa State, Sylva is not even given the opportunity to
compete with whosoever has been “anointed”.
We feel sad that instead of drawing useful lessons from the
Anambra debacle, the current leadership of the party, under
Baraje, is celebrating it. Not only did PDP lose the state, so
many lives were lost and a lot of odium was brought on the party
because of power. None of those losses has been recovered till
date. We do not wish this to happen in Bayelsa State.
Baraje’s behaviour reminds us of the former Communist Russia,
where when the leader of the party did not want even a mere
football match to hold, he would instruct the local commissar to
lock up the football field. And the local commissar will never
be able to give any reason for that course of action. But when
the people persist and demand reason why the football match
should not hold, he would simply retort that the football field
is “sick”.
We challenge Baraje to come out with the reason why Sylva was
illegally excluded from the contest.
Governor Sylva notes with grave disappointment the charade and
odium that were orchestrated in Bayelsa State on Saturday in the
name of PDP governorship primary. He calls the exercise a
ridiculous imitation of democracy that insults not only Bayelsa
State but also the Nigerian nation. He says the exercise cannot
stand because, one, Mr. President and all the statutory
delegates – seven members of the National Assembly from the
state, all 22 members of the House of Assembly on the platform
of the PDP, and all the eight local government chairmen – were
not present.
He wonders the sort of primary that took place without 98 per
cent of party members and party representatives.
The governor wishes to reiterate that he and his supporters are
still in the PDP and he is still in the gubernatorial race. He
thanks the Bayelsa people for the keeping peace despite the
provocation. He also salutes the state’s statutory delegates who
refused to lend their dignified presence to Saturday’s charade.
Sylva is in touch with his lawyers and they have assured him
that the illegal primary cannot stand. The governor will not
allow those who resorted to self-help to get away with their
evil. The governor is a democratic and is committed to pursuing
this matter through democratic means until justice is done and
the ills of the last few days are undone.
The governor assures all Bayelsans and other Nigerians that
their state would soon reclaim its democratic identity and
emerge even stronger. As Ngugi wa Thiong’o says, “There is no
night so long that it does not end in daybreak.”
Bayelsa shall witness daybreak.
DOIFIE OLA
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
Th
This is the document referred to in the Witness
Statement on Oath of Clifford O. Kokogho as
“Exhibit
COK.2”
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