Confusion in Bayelsa APC over suspension of Sylva, 4 others........

THE All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State was at the weekend thrown into confusion following the purported suspension of former governor Timipre Sylva and other members of the executive committee of the party.
Sylva was allegedly suspended for “anti- party activities and attempt to frustrate the change agenda of the Buhari administration in the state.”

A faction of the party accused him of holding clandestine meetings with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in contravention of the party’s constitution.
The group said it suspended Sylva with the vice chairman (Bayelsa Central), Joseph Fafi; Publicity Secretary, Panebi Fortune; Organising Secretary, Tonye Okio, and a member.
They also accused Sylva of trying to form a parallel state executive in contravention of Article 21 of the party constitution which stipulates that factionalisation or creating parallel party organs at any level is punishable by the extremists of means.

A statement by Bayelsa APC’s chairman and secretary, Chief Timipa Orunimighe and Daniel Marlin, said the antics of the former governor betray the present posture of Buhari’s regime which has cardinal virtues of honesty, sincerity and transparency.
The statement said: “After due consultations with relevant stake holders and elders in the state, the Bayelsa State executive committee at an emergency meeting today took the painful but necessary decision to suspend our guber flag bearer in the 2015 elections Chief Timipre Sylva.
“We have it on good record Sylva, last week Tuesday precisely, paid a clandestine visit to one of the South South governors of the PDP, this is just one of the series of correspondences between them and we find it grossly unbecoming.”
But the faction loyal to the former governor described Orunminigbe and others behind the purported suspension of Sylva as jesters.
The Publicity Secretary, Panebi Fortune, said it was laughable for Oruminighe, who was earlier suspended, to turn around to say Sylva was on suspension.
Fortune said: “They are fighting a lost battle because two people cannot suspend any of us. We properly constituted a meeting of the state executive council where about 21 of us took a decision that suspended Oruminighe and his cohorts.
“Their suspension stands because it was done in accordance with the rules and procedures of the party. We have facts and proofs on their illegal activities that led to their suspension. Let them provide evidence that we ever engaged in anti-party activities.”
Twenty-one members of the state executive council on Friday suspended Orunimigha, his deputy, Eddy Julius and the Secretary, Daniel Marlin.
They accused them of gross misconduct, financial embezzlement and anti-party activities.
The decision to suspend Tiwe and his group was at the end of an emergency meeting in Yenagoa.
The members declared Fafi and Alabo Martins as the interim chairman and secretary respectively.
The statement at the end of the emergency meeting read: “At an emergency State Executive Committee meeting held on 1st of April, 2016, the following were reached that the cases of gross misconduct, financial embezzlement and anti-party activity against the State Chairman, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, the Deputy Chairman, Eddy Julius and State Secretary, Daniel Marlin.”
“The State chapter of the party this day therefore has placed the aforementioned individuals on indefinite suspension pending the conclusion of investigations.”

Via TheNation...