BREAKING NEWS, Politics
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THE Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, venue of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary, was on Tuesday, September 22, turned to a battle field as supporters of Timi Alaibe and Timipre Sylva, the two leading governorship aspirants, engaged in violent clashes which left scores, including Alaibe, injured.
“It was a pathetic sight to see a political event reduced to a combat,” an eye witness said.
Trouble started when Alaibe and his group allegedly discovered that accredited delegates from Brass local government of his Sylva, his arch-rival, were far more than all delegates from the other local government areas combined. When the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NNDC, challenged the development it led to argument between supporters of both camps and later resulted in a free-for-all fight.
In the process, Alaibe and many others reportedly sustained injuries. During the fight, all manner of weapons were freely used, including broken bottles, cutlasses, knives and charms. Mercifully, there was no casualty as law enforcement agencies quickly intervened by shooting into the air and the use of tear gas.
In anger, Alaibe and his supporters stormed out of the venue in protest.
Further investigation showed that many of those who participated in the fracas were ordinarily not supposed to attend the primary because they were not delegates but came as organised party thugs and militants on both sides to drum support for their respective choice of aspirants.
All efforts by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and his committee which conducted the primary election to save the day proved abortive while Alaibe and his supporters were leaving the stadium.
Eventually, Sylva was declared winner of the contest. It was learnt that some of the governorship aspirants had stepped down for the former governor to enable him win the primary.
— Sep 23, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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