NORTHERN POLITICIANS CONDEMN PRESIDENCY, PDP, OVER PLOTS AGAINST SYLVA

Some Northern politicians have faulted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Presidency over the plot to bar the Bayelsa Governor, Chief Timpreye Sylva from contesting the next gubernatorial elections on the party's platform.

Prominent among the voices of protests are the National Chairman of the Peoples Salvation Party, Dr Junaid Mohammed; Second Republic, Alhaji Abubakar Mamman Dan-Musa, and the Chairman of the Movement for Justice in Nigeria (MOJIM), Alhaji Abulkarim Daiyabu.

Speaking separately to the Daily Sun, Dr. Junaid Mohammed described the disqualification of the incumbent governor of Bayelsa State as undemocratic, saying that the governor, being a bona-fide Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) card member, deserved the chance to contest the election under the party platform like every other member of the party.

He maintained that by virtue of his position as the governor of the state, he is more qualified to contest the primaries, adding that it was given in democracy that an incumbent should have the chance of a second tenure ticket, except where there is fundamental reason to deny him the privilege.

He regretted that it was unfortunate that PDP has not been able to clearly tell the public the specific reason(s) for which the governor was being denied their ticket, apart from their ambiguous reference to a security report on the governor.

He maintained that also worrisome is the fact that the so-called security report is only available to the PDP and the ruling clique, adding that if the governor has committed an offence that warrants a security report on him, the appropriate place to resolve the claims of the report is the court of law.

The Second Republic House of Representatives member maintained that the situation in Bayelsa State was a shame and a huge puzzle to all fair minded persons, adding that, 'I am not surprised because typical of the PDP, some people in Abuja and the Presidency sit down there and decide the fate of who should contest and who should not contest.'

Also reacting on phone, Second Republic Deputy Senate President, Alhaji Abubakar Manman Dan-Musa condemned the clampdown on the Bayelsa governor by the PDP's National Working Committee (NWC), saying that it a display of high handedness. He feared that their action might signal a return of dictatorship in a democratic setting.

Alhaji Dan Musa noted that under a democratic dispensation, it is the will of the people that should prevail and not that of a few individuals in the corridor of power. 'This action proves that people around the President, including party leaders, are mere stooges who implement instruction or directives without questions, people in capable of facing him with the right things.'

Alhaji Daiyabu, on his part, said the situation is unfortunate. He noted that 'it is an embarrassment to the country's President to be associated with such a trivial political matter, it is a clear indication that he his not worthy to be a leader, more so that the decision to bar his home state governor is linked to his political disagreement with the governor of the state. This is a dangerous trend and if I were him (Jonathan), I will just resign.'