The All Progressive Congress in Bayelsa State has denied any rift among its leaders, saying they are united behind the party’s governorship candidate for the November 11 election, Timipre Sylva,.
The party dismissed the rumours that some of its prominent members, such as Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and David Lyon, were secretly working with Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party to secure his second term.
The PUNCH reported that the party said the rumours were part of the PDP’s desperate attempts to cause confusion and sow discord in the APC camp, which is solid and strong. The party also refuted the claims that Governor Diri had offered 50 SSA slots to Lokpobiri and Lyon in exchange for their support.
The party’s secretary of Media and Publicity Committee, Yekini Nabena, said the rumours were false and baseless, and provided recent photos of Lokpobiri and Lyon meeting with Sylva and the APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, to reaffirm their loyalty and commitment to the party.
Nabena said in a statement on Monday in Abuja, “Our attention has been drawn to a sponsored propaganda in some quarters suggesting cracks in the solid camp of the Bayelsa APC ahead of the November 11 governorship election in the State.
“We will not be distracted because we are fully aware how desperate the incumbent governor Douye Diri has become, therefore employing all manners of tactics including propaganda and lies just to cause confusion but sadly for the PDP, it is just too late because Bayelsans have made up their minds to sack under-developer of an oil-rich state.
“For the benefit of doubt, the attached pictures will tell doubters that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the 2019 governorship candidate, David Lyon, most recently held a strategic meeting with our candidate in the presence of our National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, where everyone recommitted themselves and massive mobilisation has since begun.
“We, however, sympathise with the restless Governor Diri and his camp for acting too late, bearing in mind that their days are numbered in the Bayelsa state government House. We urge all our party members, supporters, and Byelsans in general to remain calm, expectant of landslide victory and disregard lies suggesting cracks in our camp.”
