NASS members hold parallel PDP ward congress in Bayelsa

Facts emerged on Monday that protests and disagreements marred last Saturday’s ward congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in some local government areas of President Goodluck Jonathan’s home state of Bayelsa.

It was gathered that serving members of the Senate and the House of Representatives from the state disagreed vehemently with the state government over its insistence that they would not return to the green and red chambers in the 2015 elections.

Impeccable party sources revealed that they held parallel congresses in their wards to counter the state government’s move to deny them return tickets to their seats.

It was also gathered that Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, representing Governor Seriake Dickson’s Bayelsa West Senatorial District in the Senate, conducted a parallel congress in his ward headquarters in Ekeremor Local Government Area.

A close confidant of Lokpobiri, who confirmed the development, described the Senator’s factional congress as valid, adding that it met the requirements of the PDP.

The source, who preferred anonymity, said all efforts by the senator’s detractors to shut him out of the exercise proved abortive.

Lokpobiri’s loyalists were said to have held their congress separate from the one organised by factions loyal to Dickson in the senatorial district.

Besides Lokpobiri, Senator Emmanuel Paulker, who represents Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, was said to have also organised a separate congress in his ward headquarters at Opolo, Yenagoa.

Paulker, a close associate of President Jonathan, allegedly got all the materials for the congress from Abuja and conducted the exercise differently from the one held by Dickson’s political camp.

But at Ogbia, Dickson’s foot soldiers were said to have succeeded in shutting out the Senator representing the Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Clever Ikisikpo.

The people of Okordia, Biseni and Zarama communities in Yenagoa Constituency 3, Bayelsa Central, were said to have protested the conduct of the congress in their area.

According to them, some prominent politicians led by the member representing them in the state House of Assembly, Gentle Epilefa Emelah, hijacked electoral materials meant for the congress.

They described the action as undemocratic and a contravention of the rules guiding such exercise in the party.

They called on the party’s leadership and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard any list of names of delegates sent to them from their constituency.

The Ward 12 chairman of PDP, Talkwell Zidiga, and a youth leader of the party in the ward, said electoral materials were not taken to their area.

Zidiga cried that party members had assembled at the headquarters of their wards from 6am and waited endlessly for officers of the party and INEC representatives.

“We appeal to Governor Seriake Dickson and the leadership of the PDP not to foist any list of delegates on us ahead of the primary election to decide the candidates of our party,” he said.

They said attempts to select delegates through the back door would spell doom for the party in all elections in 2015 and 2016.

In his reaction, Chairman, Community Development Committee, Kalama community, Ayebi Ebilade, described the conduct of the ward congress as unfortunate.

He said it was ridiculous that politicians who were elected by the people could trample on the wish of their people and disregard party rules.

Ebilade who spoke on behalf of 30 CDC chairmen and 30 youth presidents in the constituency enjoined Dickson and the state Chairman of PDP, Sam Inokoba, a retired Army colonel, to reschedule the congress in the interest of peace, justice and equity.

Source: Dailyindependent