Govt beefs up security in Yenagoa' Court warns party over primaries bid' Dickson, others receive clearance certificatesTHE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ward Congress Committee for the forthcoming governorship contest in Bayelsa State yesterday in Abuja submitted its report on the exercise to the national headquarters of the party. Chairman of the committee, Mohammed Wakili, who submitted the report to the Director of Mobilisation, Adewale Fatona, said a total of 315 delegates emerged from the exercise conducted in 305 wards across eight local councils of the state on Monday. However, six of the eight chairmen of the PDP in the state's councils also yesterday faulted the claims by a governorship aspirant, Seriake Dickson, that they signed the results of the disputed ward congress. In fact, the PDP council chairmen alleged that their purported signatures on the ward congress results were forged. Meanwhile, ahead of the party's primaries on Saturday where its gubernatorial flagbearer for the February 2012 election would emerge, security has been beefed up in Yenagoa. This development has, however, further heightened tension and anxiety among residents in the state capital. But the leadership of the PDP yesterday gave clearance certificates to seven aspirants for the governorship primary election with a warning to them to eschew violence. At the event, which took place at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, National Organising Secretary, Uche Secondus, who presented the certificates, charged the aspirants to stick to the rules of the game, noting that the leader of the party, President Goodluck Jonathan, hails from the state.The aspirants who received the clearance certificates yesterday were Orufa Justine Boloubo, Dickson Seriake Henry, Enai Christopher Fullpower, Kalango Michael Youppele, Francis Amaebi, Ekiyegha Francis Korobido and Austin Febo. This is against the backdrop of Sunday's disqualification of the incumbent Governor, Timipre Sylva and three other gubernatorial aspirants from participating in the PDP primaries. Other aspirants barred from the primaries were former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs and erstwhile Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, Ambassador Boladei Igali and Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce. Several detachments of mobile policemen were deployed to strategic areas in Yenagoa metropolis and the other neighbouring Imiringi, Ogbia and Otuokpoti. An Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) has been permanently stationed at the front of the PDP Secretariat in Yenagoa, while the D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha dual carriageway that leads to the party secretariat has been shut down indefinitely to traffic. Similarly, Melford Okilo Expressway, which passes the front of the Creek Haven Government House, was blocked to commuters and pedestrians as stern-looking mobile policemen mounted security around the area. No fewer than 20 anti-riot policemen were also spotted at the PDP office, just as other security agents were seen busy diverting traffic to other routes. Over 30 checkpoints have been mounted in the city. But the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, yesterday warned the PDP against proceeding in its preparations towards the conduct of the party's primary election to pick its standardbearer for the governorship polls in Bayelsa. The court stressed that it retained the statutory powers to nullify any action taken by the party with regards to the primaries. It held that the era when parties' chieftains played God leading to the emergence of candidates for elections were over based on the 2010 Electoral Act as amended. The court warned that any act of a political party that breached the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended would be voided. Ruling on an ex-parte application filed on behalf of Sylva by his counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Justice Gabriel Kolawole said although he was satisfied with the submissions made by the applicant, he was minded to direct that the PDP and other defendants be brought to court to show why he should not stop outright the planned PDP gubernatorial primary election in Bayelsa State. The chairmen of the PDP at the council level who levelled the allegation of forgery included Edison Sorgwe (Yenagoa), Milton Ebi (Brass), Ben Foreman (Southern Ijaw) and Anthony Zuokemefa (Nembe). They said the actions of those involved in the alleged forgery of their signatures would be formally reported to the State Executive Committee for disciplinary action. Dickson had on Tuesday, through a text message in reaction to the insistence by some party executives in the state that the ward congresses were never held, claimed that six of eight PDP chairmen at the council level affirmed that the congress took place in all the wards in the state. Dickson noted that the Acting Bayelsa PDP Chairman, James Durgo, also affirmed that the ward congress was free and fair. He stated that it was 'mischievous' for anybody to claim that there was no congress and that the five aspirants protesting against the non-conduct of the polls were allegedly paid by Governor Sylva to so claim. But at a media briefing yesterday in Yenagoa, four PDP chairmen from Brass, Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw and Nembe, said they were not at anytime part of an endorsement of results of a congress that was not held and that the claims by Dickson 'is fictitious, criminal and sad.' Sorgwe said: 'It is disheartening that some persons would impersonate us and claim to be party chairmen of councils. A recognised party man should have been called to identify the original chairmen, rather than resorting to criminal means to affirm the result of polls that was never held.' Foreman said it was 'laughable' that his name was allegedly used to affirm the congress, which he insisted did not hold. He added: 'We will pursue the proper channel of disciplinary actions within the party.' But five Bayelsa governorship aspirants cleared by the PDP to participate in Saturday's party primary had on Tuesday stormed the national secretariat of the party to protest 'non-conduct' of the ward congress. The protesters said in their petition, addressed to the PDP National Chairman dated November 14, 2011, that the congress was not conducted anywhere in the state. But Wakili said earlier hitches recorded in Brass and Nembe were rectified, adding that 'the stage is set for the primary.' Wakili urged the aggrieved aspirants to channel their grievances to the party's appeal panel. His words: 'Election is a process and election has to be conducted, so if you have any grievances, we have an appeal process through which you can lay your complaints. 'I am surprised that while the congress was going on in Bayelsa, some people were complaining in Abuja, and I don't know whether the election is conducted in Abuja, or the election was done in Bayelsa. It is natural for Nigerian politicians to complain.'' Also at a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, Bayelsa State chairman of the PDP, Durgo, corroborated Wakili's account, saying: 'It is regrettable to hear people lie and try to drag my name into a baseless and spurious accusation that there was no ward congress delegates' election in our state on November 14, 2011.' Accompanied by chieftains of the party in the state, Durgo said: 'We want to emphatically state that there was election. It was free and fair, though there were little rancour in Nembe and Brass areas, but we salute the effort of the Nigeria Police, the State Security Service (SSS) and the Joint Task Force (JTF) for maintaining relative peace and urged them to remain steadfast.' The PDP state chairman added: 'We have video-tapes and proofs to buttress the fact that we received the Ward Congress Panel from Abuja; attended the briefing; witnessed the appointment of returning officers and then accompanied them on a courtesy call to the Commissioner of Police, Director of SSS, got to the Government House gate but were not allowed into the Governor's Office.
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