Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
The Ebierien Itubor-led faction of the All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State claimed on Thursday that it opened another party secretariat because the one controlled by a faction loyal to the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, was opened with the proceeds of corruption.
Itubor faction alleged that the property housing the party’s secretariat at Bay Bridge area of Yenagoa, the state capital, was acquired under Sylva as governor with the proceeds of corruption.
A vocal member of the faction, Sunday Frank-Oputu, claimed that the opening of the new secretariat was the best thing that had happened to the majority of party members in the state.
Frank-Oputu said: “As far as I am concerned, it is the best thing that has happened to Bayelsa State because the former secretariat which is on Mbiama-Yenagoa road, is a property acquired with proceeds of corruption under Sylva’s government.
“When Sylva was governor, he asked the Bayelsa State Capital Development Authority to go and buy that property with state money. The evidences are there. Former Governor Seriake Dickson even went to court over the property and the matter is still in court.
“The money was paid from Bayelsa State government’s account. We all know party’s secretariat is not and has never been on government’s property before. That is a government property that belongs to all Bayelsans. Bayelsa State government’s property belongs to everybody both APC members, PDP members and the rest of the people.
“Therefore, a party cannot claim ownership of it and be using it, it’s wrong. I am using this same medium to call on the Governor of Baylesa State to immediately prepare to take over that property because it rightly belongs to Bayelsa State government.
“The property is a proceed of corruption. APC, as a party that does not believe in corruption. It stands for truth and justice. We are saying that the secretariat is a wrong place for Bayelsa to keep its APC secretariat.”
Frank-Oputu, who is a chieftain from Southern Ijaw, however, said that the status of the old party’s secretariat and the circumstances surrounding its acquisition had led to many political misfortunes for the party.
He mentioned how Sylva lost the governorship poll in 2015 having allegedly won by over 80,000 votes but INEC cancelled votes in Southern Ijaw and also how David Lyon won and declared but his election was upturned on the eve of his inauguration as some of the ill-luck trailing the party because of the use of the secretariat.
“APC cannot stand on corrupt ground to do anything and succeed because President Muhammadu Buhari is a man who has a clean record when it comes to anti-corruption. So, for us as a people and believers of Buhari’s system of governance, that secretariat is the least place anybody should expect us to stay,” he said.
Efforts to get the reaction of Sylva proved abortive as his mobile phone did not connect. Also, text message sent to his phone was not responded to.