Tiwei remains Bayelsa Chairman - APC protest, as crises rocks APC NWC

- Timi frank explodes, says Oyegun is destroying the party.

The crack within the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) continued to deepen at the weekend as the deputy national publicity secretary of the party, Timi Frank,  yesterday 6th August, faulted the suspension of the chairman of the party in Bayelsa state, Chief Timipa Orunimighe.

This is also coming as leaders of the party in the state, on Monday 7th August, led by the eight (8) state apc chairmen and more than hundred ward chairmen and supporters amounting to thousands, occupied the All Progressives Congress, APC, secretariat in Yenagoa.

The protesters who also barricaded the entrance of the secretariat, causing a gridlock in the popular Yenagoa major road, were seen carrying placards with various inscriptions such as “ Sylva is the problem of APC Bayelsa,” “Tiwei remains our State Chairman,” “Heineken is out to destroy APC,” " Lokpobiri is a card carrying  member of PDP", "Bayelsa is not for sale",
among others.

The National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress had earlier announce the suspension of the Bayelsa State Chairman of the party, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, his deputy, Eddy Julius, and the state Secretary, Marlin Daniel.

The suspension came amid a lingering crisis between factions loyal to Chief Timipre Sylva and that of Orunimighe, day after the party in the state had conducted it's delegates election, which led to another series of internal wrangling, that made the Timipre Sylva faction rejecting the outcome of the election and were alleged to have purportedly conducted their own delegates elections in far away, Owerri, Imo state.

But the leaders in the state described the suspension as unlawful, and against party’s constitution without setting up a committee of inquiry.

Speaking to Bodmasnewsblog, the state APC LGA chairman of sagbama, and the leader of the chairmen, Engr. Arepadei Phil, blamed Timipre Sylva, Heineken Lokpobiri and some others, as the brains behind the ugly development, who according to him, were intent on destroying the party in the state.

"Chief Timipa Orunimighe still remains the recognised & legal Chairman of the party, Bayelsa State, the NWC did not follow the party rules, we were not consulted, we are aware that these are antics of Timipre Sylva and Lokpobiri, in their bid to put the party under their armpit, we are using this medium to tell the NWC and the public that we are not aware of any suspension or purported expulsion, let them sit down and reverse their decision, we will not accept it, unless they are intent in killing the party in the state", Arepadei added.

He further said that every suspension and expulsion should come via the organs of the State party and not directly from the National level.

Also a chieftain of the party, Preye Apreala who spoke on phone condemned the decision, noting that the former chairman only opposed imposition from Chief Timipre Sylva.

Apreala said the decision would kill the party, stressing that members do not have a say unlike what is happening in Rivers State.

Also, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, condemned the suspension of the Bayelsa State chairman of the party, Chief Tiwe Oruminighe, by the National Working Committee (NWC).

Frank, in his statement yesterday, said the party leadership had committed “unforgivable error” against its constitution.

He said, “If there are allegations against state party chairman, it is expected of NWC to set up a panel of enquiry to investigate these allegations and give the chairman in question a fair hearing and not suspension like in this case.

“Like I have been saying, Nigerians will now see the excesses of the Chief Oyegun-led NWC and how the supposed leaders are creating unnecessary crisis by taking sides practically in all state chapters of the federation,” he claimed.

The APC chieftain said this is not the best time for the party to suspend anybody but time to embark on genuine reconciliation, adding that “all that Chief Oyegun-led NWC has been doing was display of impunity.

“One will be forced to ask if Chief Oyegun has two party constitutions where he uses one for his own favour and the other against his perceived enemies?” he also stated.

There are also confusions over the issue as 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.

Meanwhile, the party's national secretariat is yet to officially brief the press, or inform leaders of the state chapter via any memo.

The division in the State Executive Committee (SEC) of the Bayelsa APC has further split both the APC NWC and the state chapter into two factions.