The All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, engaged in a verbal clash on Monday, concerning an alleged plot by Governor Douye Diri to frame Chief Timipre Sylva with corrupt charges using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Timipre Sylva served as the APC candidate in the recently concluded governorship poll in Bayelsa State.
The APC, represented by State Publicity Secretary Mr. Doifie Buokoribo, claims that Diri is attempting to falsely implicate Sylva with crimes to divert his focus from pursuing his petition at the state governorship election tribunal.
Parts of the statement said, “We are aware of Senator Diri’s devious activities at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, aimed at sponsoring invented petitions against Sylva, and the pressure he is mounting on officials of the Commission to initiate arrest and prosecution against him on trumped up charges, particularly, bordering on his tour of duty as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources
“We have it on good authority that Governor Diri has instigated officials of EFCC on a fishing expedition to try to cobble some flimsy and imaginary charges together against Sylva to arrest him. This is all in a bid to distract the APC candidate and hinder the effective pursuit of his petition at the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
“Senator Diri knows full well that he did not win the November 11 governorship poll; he knows without a doubt that he is holding a stolen mandate that would soon revert to the rightful owner. That is why despite his alleged victory, there is hardly any celebration. Diri and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are simply jittery, knowing there is nothing to celebrate.
“APC would like to use this medium to warn Diri and PDP to desist from their conspiratorial activities against Sylva at the EFCC.
“We also wish to advise the EFCC to resist any temptation to get entangled in the political chicanery of the sinking governor and his party.”
The PDP, as expressed by State Publicity Secretary Ebiye Ogoli, urged the APC to refrain from implicating Diri in the challenges faced by Sylva.
According to the PDP, the allegation by the APC was an attempt to deceive credulous Bayelsans.
“The attention of the Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been drawn to a malicious publication to the effect that the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, and our party were engaging in a clandestine plot to frame up corruption allegations against the defeated All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC
“Chief Timpre Sylva, as a bad loser, has refused to acknowledge and accept the outcome of the November 11 governorship election for what it is – a free, fair, and transparent poll.
“The election was widely adjudged by various local and international observers as one of the cleanest in recent times conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, in which incumbent Governor Douye Diri was re-elected via a landslide,” parts of the PDP statement said.
Kanyi Daily recalls that Timipre Sylva said the judiciary vindicated itself through the Court of Appeal’s reversal of his candidacy’s nullification.