Bayelsa: Sylva At War With APC Chairman, Supporters

In less than two weeks that the former governor of Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva, emerged the All Progressives Congress candidate ahead of the December 5 governorship election, there is currently a clash between the former governor and the state party chairman over the choice of who becomes the running mate.

Sylva

According to The Punch, supporters of Tiwei Orunimighe staged a protest on Tuesday, October 6, at the party’s secretariat in Yenagoa following the speculation that Sylva had picked another running mate instead of Orunimighe.
The protesters had gone as far as destroying Sylva’s campaign billboards stressing that the former governor did not keep to his promise of choosing Orunimighe as his running mate.
They claimed that Orunimighe made it possible for Sylva to emerge as the candidate for the party at the primary election adding that if the APC candidate fails to choose the APC chairman, then he (Sylva) should forget about the gubernatorial election.
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Sylva is said to have allegedly picked a retired principal, William Egeri, who happens to be from Orunimighe’s community in Southern Ijaw local government area of the state to be his deputy.
The protesters further vowed to sink the party instead of allowing Sylva’s preferred choice of running mate.
The chairman of ward 11, Yenagoa local government area, Exodus Ebi, said during the protest that the protesters were sending message to the party’s national leadership that Orunimighe remains their choice as running mate to Sylva.
Ebi said: “We want to tell the party’s national leadership that if Sylva turns down Tiwei Orunimighe as his deputy, we will work against his candidacy. We do not mind jumping into the ship of the opposition.
“Enough of this nonsense… before the whole struggle began, Sylva had prepared the mind of the man that he would run with him. Now that he has emerged, he is giving flimsy reasons that Orunimighe is ambitious. What does he mean by that? Is there any man without ambition? Tiwe is our choice and anything to the contrary will not be accepted.”
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Reports have it that Orunimighe has continuously had an unwavering devotion to Sylva ever since the former governor was evacuated from the Creek Haven by former president Goodluck Jonathan.
Some other protesters noted that it would be unfair for the former governor to neglect all Orunimighe had done for him.