Bayelsa APC Crisis Deepens As Embattled Members Fight Back

suspended and expelled members of the Bay­elsa State All Pro­gressives Congress (APC) led by the former Security Ad­viser to the state govern­ment, Chief Richard Kpo­do, yesterday described his purported expulsion as “laughable.”

The members were suspended and expelled by the APC leadership on Monday over alleged illegal gathering and attempt to set up a par­allel state executive com­mittee, SEC, of the party.

But the embattled mem­bers of the party are fight­ing back, saying that the purported sanction with­out proper trial was laugh­able and a deliberate act by some questionable charac­ters to cause an implosion within the party in the state,

Those suspended are Mr. Godwin Sidi; Fred Akamu; Rosemary Okeazi; Chief Livinus Opratapu; Harrow Zuokumo; Enoch Koripamo and Christopher Abariowei.

As stated by state APC secretary, Mr. Marlin Dan­iel, the duo of Kpodo and Oputu had since left the APC to join the opposition. He said they had been ex­pelled when Kpodo in par­ticular said the APC was dead on arrival, stressing that such suspension sub­sisted till date.

Kpodo, one of the found­ing fathers of the party in Bayelsa, said though the expulsion order alongside the suspension of 9 other party members is being challenged with a petition filed before the APC na­tional leadership, the deci­sion by few APC officials led by a member of the Board of Trustee, BoT, of the party is illegal, uncon­stitutional and a deliberate action meant to cause an implosion within the party.

He warned that if APC fails to put its house in order, it should forget winning the 2016 gu­bernatorial election in the state, adding: “It is funny that party men cannot come together and discuss the way forward for the party. How can some per­sons accused of criminal charges be selected to lead the party. This is the action you will get. They did not follow constitution and set up avenue for fair hearing. It is criminal.”

Kpodo, who has been contending with APC leader and former governor of the state, Ti­mipre Sylva, accused Sylva of promoting crisis within the party with the alleged hand-picking of members of the SEC.