Tiwei remains Bayelsa APC chair, nobody suspended him - APC Leaders

• APC NWC to meet over the crises.

Confusion continues to trail the crises rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa, rumoured letters of expulsion and suspension, circulating the cyberspace, two separate letters emanated over the punishment meted out to the offender as one of the correspondences stated that he was suspended, while the other said he had been expelled, we are yet to know which to believe, as the National body is yet silent to communicate any official statement to the press.

Contrary to these rumours that three of the state Executives were suspended and expelled for anti-party activities, truth is finally revealing itself.

Bodmasnews learnt from a source at the National secretariat, that it is being rumoured, yet to be confirmed, that APC NWC after it's  meeting, suspended the Bayelsa state APC chairman, Secretary and deputy chair, for failing to officially withdraw a court case against Sylva, in a case the national had intervened and advised so.

However the party at the state chapter staged a protest on Monday 7th, to inform the national and the general public that Chief Tiwei has neither been suspended, nor expelled from the APC as there is no official communication to that effect, as the news remains unfounded and without a source.

The essence of their protest according to them was aimed at informing the party at the centre that the structures and teeming supporters of the party at the Local Govts and Ward levels are fully in support of the Chairman, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe and loyal to him.

The protesters maintained that Chief Timipa Tiwei remains Chairman of Bayelsa APC.

Leadership newspaper also reports as follows:

The protesters, who described the purported suspension and dismissal of the party chairman as “misinformation”, insisted that the embattled Chief Tiwei Orunmighe, remains the state chairman of the party.

In a protest yesterday led by the APC’s 105 wards chairmen, the eight local government chairmen, women, youths and elders of the party, the protesters, accused the national leadership of the party of aiding and abetting illegality, insisting that  the APC was ‘not for sale’.

Among the notable members of the party who spoke during the protest include a former senatorial vice chairman of the party, Chris Alogoa, a former leader of the party, Livinus Opuakpa, the chairman of all the local government chairmen, Phil Erepade and Jephthah Iyekoroghe.

According to Livinus Opuakpa, “It was unfortunate that the party find themselves in such situation, especially at this critical time when they should be preparing for 2019 and 2020.”

He said, “There is need to join this vanguard to forestall this misinformation that is making the round because it is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation at this critical time when we should be preparing ourselves to win elections come 2019.

“Unfortunately, the national committee that has taken this decision to suspend our constitutionally elected chairman, secretary and the deputy, if they have done so; must have been misinformed deliberately  by those who are seeking the soul of this party, to see that they trade with it, destroy it so that we will go nowhere as far as APC elections are concern in this state.

“We are here on a protest to tell Bayelsans that APC has no crisis, there is no body suspended until otherwise proved constitutionally. So here we are telling Bayelsans that APC is not for sale, there are some that are out to take the soul of this party and trade with it and we will resist with all legal and constitutional strength at our disposal.”

While accusing the former governor of the state, Chief Timi Sylva and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobri, for fueling the crisis, they insisted that Lokpobri must go as he had no membership card.

They alleged that the party lost the last gubernatorial election in the state because the former governor, Sylva, has no integrity and warned that any attempt to hijack the party from the founding members will be resisted with everything at their disposal.

Iyekoroghe said, “I stand on the ground of the 105 ward Chairmen in Bayelsa State APC that there is nothing like suspending the state chairman, Chief Tiwe Oruminighe. If there is anything like that, due process must be followed.

“The executives of the Bayelsa APC led by Chief Tiwei Orunmighe, remain. No letter from the national body, no phone call, we read about it on the social media, so the purported suspension cannot hold.”

“On behalf of the 105 ward chairmen, Heineken Lokpobri must go because his ministerial appointment was stolen from the founding members of the party in the state. And from the inception of his appointment, he has been using it to destroy APC, alongside with the acclaimed leader, Sylva.”

Bodmasnewsblog also investigated and discovered that the rumoured suspension is yet to be ratified by the APC NWC, meanwhile there are reports that the NWC are set to convene over the issue and resolved whatever conflicts that may be.

Also, there are speculations in Aso rock villa, that the Ag. President , Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has directed the party leadership to immediately resolve the issues noting that the state chairman of the Party remains Chief Timipa Tiwei, but added that crises would not help the party at this time.