By Amos Okioma,
Yenagoa
Armed youths suspected to be hoodlums on Friday morning attacked the
All Progressive Party (APC) Secretariat in Yenagoa.
The gang, which shot sporadically, killed two, and injured over 10 persons.
The hoodlums who operated like a movie show forced motorists and business centres to shut down.
Although no reason was given by the hoodlums to disrupt the APC inauguration of the new Acting Chairman of the party, Hon Joseph Fafi, their activities did not stop the party from carrying on the inauguration.
Police and security agency in the state capital could not arrest any of the suspects, but their vehicle was impounded by the men of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF).
The action caused panic and
pandemonium along the busy Mbiama Express way as blood stains, bottoms litters along the Kpansia street and the major road.
Some of the placard carried by the hoodlums read: ‘‘Sylva you have betrayed APC’,” “Sylva stay away from Bayelsa APC’’, while others read: ‘Sylva you are a failure’.
Following the shooting and the mayhem that lasted for over an hour, security operatives including the police, Nigeria Army and other para-military organizations stormed the party office and restored normalcy.
Sources close to APC hierarchies
accuse the former party Chairman,
Chief Tiwei, of sponsoring the
shooting at the party secretariat.
During the inauguration of the APC new 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.”
He further promised that “from today the APC hierarchies 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 act of a recalcitrant and wicked chairman, Chief Oruminghe Tiwei.
Accompanied by the Minister for State for Agriculture, Senator Heinkein Lokpobiri, the former governor accused the ex-chairman of trading with the name of the party with the opposition party in the state.
He said that 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 Dickson of Bayelsa State.
Sylva said that the APC hierarchies 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,” Sylva said.
Sylva insisted: “For Chief Tiwei, the time for judgment has come and this is the time to separate the chaffs from the wheat.
“Today they thought 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 and no one can stop it. Now this party will begin to function and jolificate and to make sure that this party will be functioning every day.”
Describing Tiwei as a coward, Sylva said that Tiwei is a non-issue to talk 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 Fafi as the one that the party has given the mantle of leadership by the exco and he is no other person than Joseph Fafi.
“Bayelsa State,” Sylva said, “is our 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.”
In his acceptance speech, the new
acting Chairman, Joseph Fafi, said, “today marks the progress of the party that the people of Bayelsa are marching to the Government House for victory.
“Toady marks the movement of APC to the creek Heaven, the seat of power of the Bayelsa State Government House.”
The inauguration of the acting APC chairman attracted party stalwarts, top politicians from the state and elder statesmen including women and youths groups across the eight local government areas of the state.