APC threatens to expel members in Bayelsa

 

The Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has threatened to expel some of its members recently suspended for anti-party activities.

The party had recently expelled two of its leaders and suspended seven others for anti-party activities.

Two of the expelled members included a former Chairman of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Perekeme Kpodo, and Mr. Sunday Oputu.

Those suspended were Mr. Godwin Sidi, Fred Akamu, Rosemary Okeazi, Chief Livinus Opratapu, Harrow Zuokumo, Enoch Koripamo and Christopher Abariowei.

But the expelled and suspended members, under the aegis of ‘The Integrity Group’, fought back on Tuesday, claiming that they had also suspended the state chairman of the party, Tiwei Orunimighe, his deputy, Eddy Julius, and the secretary, Marlin Daniel, over allegations of anti-party activities.

While reacting to the development, the state publicity secretary of the party, Mr. Panebi Fortune, described the purported suspension of the state working committee members as a big joke.

He said it was laughable that the suspended members who were supposed to be remorseful for their wrongdoing could decide to suspend members of the state working committee.

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Panebi said the state chapter of the APC had already set up an ad hoc disciplinary committee to further probe the activities of the suspended members and to review their punishment.

He said if the suspended members were not remorseful, their suspension could be turned into expulsion. He warned that the party would not allow anybody to sow the seed of discord within its fold.

He also dismissed insinuations of internal crisis in the party following the expulsion of Kpodo and Obutu.

He said, “What happened was that we discovered that some expelled members of the APC were recruited and paid huge sums of money by the Peoples Democratic Party to cause problems in our midst.

“One of the expelled members deceived some APC members to use them for the purpose of creating crisis among us. We discovered on time and acted fast by suspending persons known to have met with the expelled member.

“As expected, these persons formed what they called ‘The Integrity Group’ in order to fight back. They embarked on a failed mission of issuing a statement, saying that they have also suspended some members of the state working committee, including our chairman, Mr. Tiwei Oruminighe.”

“It is a huge joke. We really do not want to dignify these people with our response. But as an individual, after reading the statement, I laughed because the people sounded like comedians,” he said.

He asked members of the party and persons willing to join the party to disregard the activities of the group, insisting that the people behind the group were sponsored by the PDP-led government in the state.

“The Bayelsa APC is united. We are one family and we are working with one purpose of seizing power from the clueless PDP to better the lots of Bayelsa State indigenes. We are, however, bent on ensuring party discipline,” he said.

Ahead of the governorship election in the state, Panebi said the APC was prepared to sweep the PDP out of power in 2016.

He claimed that the PDP was already dead and had accepted defeat following the exodus of prominent politicians from the party ahead of the governorship election.