The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has revealed that the decision of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, to foist his “cousin”, Senator Degi Erimienyo, on the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the running mate to the sacked Governor-elect, Chief David Lyon, aided its court victory.
The PDP Bayelsa state chapter in a statement it issued Monday advised the minister to look inwards and stop the unnecessary vilification of the Supreme Court and the judiciary.
The statement, which was signed by the state secretary of party, Chief Godspower Keku, insisted that Sylva and the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, significantly helped the PDP to wrest power from the APC.
Also, the PDP called on the international community to impose a Visa ban on the minister alleging that his statements were capable of further plunging the state into violence.
Further, the statement said that Sylva’s intention was to make David Lyon and Degi his stooges and thus by extension fulfilled his botched second term ambition with the position of minister.
According to him, following the Supreme Court verdict, Sylva ought to have apologised for the Nembe violence that erupted in Nembe during the PDP campaign.
He said the minister should also apologise for the vandalism of the houses of former Governor Seriake Dickson, Governor Douye Diri; the attack on the PDP secretariat, the Steve Azaiki Library, the judiciary among others rather by his party members, who embarked on violent protests after the judgement.
It also said Sylva should show remorse for the sponsored protests at the residences of Justice Mary Odilli in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
“Sylva should not blame the Supreme Court and the Judiciary. The fact is that he helped us; his people worked with us to reclaim the mandate wrongfully taken by the All Progressives Congress to avert a disaster.
“He should stop blaming the judiciary; apologize for the massacre of 21 persons in Nembe, and the killings which the Federal Forces backed him to perpetrate against the good people of Bayelsa.
“But We thank him and Oshiomhole for making it easy for us, the PDP and the good people of Bayelsa, to stop the catastrophe he and his party wanted to foist on Bayelsa because of his burning ambition to be both minister and Governor by installing a stooge who never won primaries; by bringing Degi, his cousin and foisting him on David Lyon and the APC.
“He should apologize for the Nembe killings, the attack on my home, Gov Diri’s home, the attack on the High Court, the Azaiki Library, the PDP Secretariat and several other places rather than the immoral assault on the Supreme Court.”
