The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State conducted a peaceful state congress on Saturday to elect its 36 State Executive Committee members with Dennis Otiotio, a lawyer, emerging as chairman.
But the faction led by former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, boycotted the exercise, citing the subsisting injunction before a Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The conduct of Congress at the party’s secretariat on Mbiama/Yenagoa Road attracted stakeholders led by Senator Degi Eremienyo, two members of Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Isreal Sunny-Goli and Hon. Preye Influence Oseke.
However, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, was absent from the congress.
The Chairman of the seven-man State Congress Committee, DCP Yusuf Aurelius Adejo (rtd.), described the conduct of the congress as a family affair and peaceful.
However at the factional secretariat of the APC located on Isaac Boro Road, it was observed that there was no parallel congress as planned.
Factional chairman of the Senator Lokpobiri- led group, Fala Itubo, told The Nation: “How can we conduct congresses when there is a subsisting court injunction? You remember what happened in Rivers State? We don’t want to make that same mistake.
“As for the reconciliation committee set up by our party leadership at the national level, whatever they want to do must not be about the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, and Senator Lokpobiri alone, but should involve all stakeholders of the party. I wish to appeal to all party faithful to remain calm.”
A chairmanship candidate in the Lokpobiri camp, Chief Peres Peretu, said: “We met and thought it wise not to go ahead with the congresses because of the subsisting injunction. For all I know, the other party is disobeying court order.”
A chieftain of the party, Hon. Sunday Frank-Oputu, explained that the refusal of the party to conduct a parallel congress was due to a subsisting court order.
He said: “When we appeared in court, counsel for the other faction claimed that they have not conducted any Ward or Local Government congresses. So, if they have not done so, where did they get the delegates voting at the state congress they are conducting?
“We have evidence of that brief where the counsel made those claims. And the appeal court has asked both parties to return to court on the 19th October, 2021 for hearing. For that reason, we have decided to put off the congresses.”
