The Bayelsa State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has postponed its ward congress scheduled for Saturday, July 31, 2021, over the injunction by the State High Court.
Some aggrieved members of the party loyal to former Minister of State for Agriculture and Mineral Resources, Hon. Heineken Lokpobiri, had filed a suit seeking to stop the conduct of the ward congress in the state.
A Bayelsa State High Court, presided over by Enekinimi Uzaka, in a judgment on Friday, July 30, 2021, ordered a stop to the proposed congress pending the determination of the motion of notice before the court.
The court however adjourned the matter to August 9 for the hearing of the motion before it.
The court gave the order, the two factions, each led by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, and Lokpobiri, were busy at their two parallel secretariats preparing for the ward congresses in the 105 wards of the state.
The Acting State Organising Secretary of the faction loyal to Sylva, who is also a former state governor, Mr. Tari Emberru, dismissed the claim of purported confusion in the party ahead of congress, “Our Congress from ward, state and national is a family affair and it would be peaceful,” he said.
Emberru also dismissed the claim of a faction in the Bayelsa APC, “there is no faction in APC in the state. The APC is united and indivisible with Jothan Amos as Acting Chairman, Alabo Martins as Acting Secretary and our leader and father is the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.”
But the Caretaker Secretary of APC in Bayelsa State, Mr Alabo Martins, in a statement on Saturday, urged all party faithfuls to remain calm and united as the party is taking proactive steps to address the court injunction stopping its congresses.
While condemning the actions of some people he described as ‘unscrupulous elements’ who are disguising as party members in the day, but Judases at night, with sole aim to cause tension and disunity due to their selfish ambitions, he urged the party faithful to keep faith with the party.
He promised that the party is ready to tackle the matter head-on, and create a stronger APC, towards its growth and development.
He noted that as a law abiding party, the APC would not take laws into its hands by going contrary to the Court injunction as any unguided moves would jeopardize the effort the party has made so far.
He called on those who genuinely have the interest of the party at heart to stay calm and focused during the challenging time, assuring that any existing litigation would be dealt with before proceeding on the Congress to ensure a smooth and Hitch Free process.
He warned that the party would not hesitate to take decisive measures against anyone who deliberately sabotages the effort of the APC in Bayelsa and the scheduled Congresses as the leadership has come a long way in repositioning the party.
The APC secretary solicited the support and cooperation of members for APC to be a role model for other parties and also urged aggrieved members to channel their grievances to the appropriate quarters at the party secretariat.
Also, Mr Ebierien Fala Itubor, the factional Chairman of the party loyal to former Minister of state for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who is planning to conduct a parallel congress said the will not go on with the exercise due to the court injunction.
