CHINEDU WOSU, YENAGOA
Armed youths suspected to be hoodlums on Friday morning attacked the All Progressives Party, APC, Secretariat in Yenagoa, shooting sporadically, killing two and injuring over ten persons.
The hoodlums, who operated in a movie-like manner shot sporadically, forcing motorists and business centres to close down.
Although no concrete reasons were given by the hoodlums for disrupting the APC inauguration of the new Acting Chairman of the party, Hon Joseph Fafi, the miscreant’s activities did not stop the party from carrying on with the inauguration.
Police and security agents in the state capital could not arrest any of the suspects, but their vehicle was impounded by the men of the Joint Military Taskforce, JTF.
The action caused panic and pandemonium along the busy Mbiama Express way as blood stains were seen along Kpansia street and the major road.
Some of the placards carried by the hoodlums had messages which read, ‘Sylva you have betrayed APC’, ‘Sylva stay away from Bayelsa APC’, ‘Sylva you are a failure’.
Following the shooting and the mayhem that lasted more than an hour, security operatives including the police, Nigeria Army and other para- military organizations stormed the party office and restored normalcy.
Sources close to the APC hierarchy accused the former party Chairman, Chief Oruminghe Tiwei of sponsoring the shooting at the party secretariat.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Acting Chairman, Mr. Joseph Fafi, amidst tight security, former Bayelsa state Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva said ‘finally we are here, we are not Abuja politicians, we are grounded Bayelsa politicians, so nobody can call us Abuja politicians, and we promised that from today the APC hierarchy would be with the party faithful and supporters from the state.”
Sylva, who apologized to APC supporters and loyalists said, for some time, the party was in doldrums, not moving forward or backward, because of the acts of a recalcitrant and wicked chairman, Chief Tiwei.
Accompanied by the minister of state for Agriculture, Senator Heinekein Lokpobiri, Sylva accused the former Chairman of trading with the name of the party with the opposition party in the state.
He said he made the former APC chairman from nothing to local government Chairman and from nothing to Chairman of the great Party APC, but regretted that Chief Tiwei could trade with the name of the party.
The former governor also accused Tiwei of romancing with Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state.
Chief Sylva said the APC hierarchy gave him time to change. “We taught he would change and make peace in the party, but he kept moving deeper and deeper in the mud,” he alleged.
Sylva insisted that for Chief Tiwei, the time for judgment has come and that this is the time to separate the chaff from the wheat.
Sylva said, “today they taught they could intimidate us, small children and cowards, as they came here to scare the people, but failed in their attempts.”
The APC leader in Bayelsa state insisted that the ship of APC has started sailing in Bayelsa state and that no one can stop the ship.
Describing Tiwei as a coward, Sylva said the former chairman is a non issue and not worth talking about.
Sylva told APC supporters and Bayelsa people that he was in the state to officially present Mr. Joseph Fafi as the one that would run the affairs of the party in the state.
He described Joseph Fafi as the one that the party has given the mantle of leadership to, stressing that it is expected that he would ensure the progress of the APC in the state.
“We are here to ensure the progress of our party and the progress of our state and no one can take this great ship backward,” he said.
In his acceptance speech, Joseph Fafi said “today marks the beginning of the progress of the party. The people of Bayelsa are marching to the Government House for victory,” promising that “today marks the beginning of movement of APC to Creek Haven, the seat of power of the Bayelsa state Government.”
The inauguration of the Acting APC chairman attracted party stalwarts, top politicians from the state and elder statesmen including women and youth groups across the eight local government areas of the state
