18th August, 2015
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Bayelsa State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that the so called mega rally by the All Progressive Congress (APC) held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state capital, on Saturday 15 August 2015, has once more exposed the deceit, dishonesty and reckless propaganda that is copiously inherent in the character and content of the APC leadership in Bayelsa state.
PDP in its first official statement said that APC dropped names and told Bayelsans that the respected Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, and all APC governors were to grace the event but these claims turned out to be another deliberate deceit of vulnerable citizens.
PDP pointed out that the Vice President and the APC governors did not attend the rally, because they know better that INEC is yet to allow political parties embark on such rallies, not to talk about an orchestrated mega rally which was an illegality.
“It is laughable that the long expected defection of the former PDP State Chairman, Colonel Sam Inokoba is portrayed as a decapitation of the PDP because this is farthest from the truth. The membership of the party at all organs in the state starting from the State Executive Committee, the State Working Committees, the Senatorial structures, the LGA and Ward executives are all intact.”
PDP noted that it is in fact celebrating the exit of a rudderless leader in Col. Sam Inokoba, who had long ago left the party in spirit as he sabotaged the party severally, culminating in his sponsoring of candidates against his own PDP and lost.
PDP further alleged that his home Local Government Area, which is also that of Timi Alaibe, the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area has only a few days ago endorsed Governor Henry Seriake Dickson as their candidate for the December 5, 2015 gubernatorial elections.
As for the other defectors, PDP said they can best be described as ungrateful beneficiaries of the PDP administration. Some of them have defected to protect their businesses and federal contracts under probe. What is worse, these defectors have betrayed the Ijaw nation.
The party noted that “before the public is carried away by the charade called APC mega rally, let it be known that 80% of the crowd at Samson Siasia stadium was rented from outside the state, while others were mere curious onlookers. APC has no such following in Bayelsa State. Furthermore, it is an established fact that most of the defected members sponsored candidates against the PDP during the recently concluded state assembly elections and they were roundly defected.”
The PDP returned all its three senatorial candidates, all the five House of Representative members and twenty one out of the twenty three so far announced in a twenty-four member assembly.
The PDP leaders who recorded this outstanding success at the poll are still intact in PDP, the party said. The overwhelming followers of the party in the various wards across the state are still intact and they will all vote PDP again come December 5, 2015,” the statement said.
The performance of the PDP government in Bayelsa State is a success story as its record achievements are glaring before Bayelsans who care to speak the truth, except the few who pretend to be blind.
The party claimed that Bayelsa is one of the most peaceful states in the country as a direct result of the state government’s huge investment in security across the entire state, executed by the peace agent called Doo-akpo meaning “peaceful life” as opposed to the outfit that was established by the leader of APC as Governor in Bayelsa State, called Famu-tamgbe which means “kill and throw away” which was actually used for intense political killings in the state, during those dark days.
The party added that Doo-akpo has not been involved in any political killing whatsoever, but deployed mainly for peace, security and protection of lives and property. Bayelsans know the truth. This is a case of someone living in a class house throwing stones.
“The Dickson administration under PDP has continued to ensure that funds generated from FAAC and IGR are used to execute programmes and policies that are people oriented and in the interest of sustainable development.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose government is prosecuting a most prudent administration is focused, fulfilling campaign promises and the vast majority of Bayelsans are anxiously waiting for Henry Seriake Dickson to declare for a second term in office”.
PDP stated.