Sylva: Oshiomhole plotting to stop me

Timipre Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa state, has accused Adams Oshiomhole, governor of Edo state, of plotting to frustrate him out of the December 2015 governorship race in the state.

Maintaining that primary election held in the state as scheduled, Sylva said Oshiomhole set the motion for the exercise, which eventually produced him as the winner.

He further alleged that Oshiomhole, who is the head of the APC electoral committee, was working in favour of an undisclosed candidate and that he flown into the state in a helicopter that was provided by the said candidate.

“It is unfortunate that people like Adams Oshiomhole, the governor of Edo state and former president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, who pretend to be incorruptible, would conduct himself in the manner in which he did in relation to the Bayelsa state governorship primary,” read a statement issued by Doifie Buokoribo, Sylva’s spokesman.

“It was clear that Oshiomhole never wanted to conduct the primary as scheduled. First, on his request, the primary was shifted from its earlier date of Saturday, September 19 to the Tuesday, September 22. The grouse of the delegates was that the primaries had been shifted once on Oshiomhole’s request. That shift caused enough hardship already.

“The ‘comrade’ was again shifting the goal post, without giving consideration to these hapless delegates. He clearly had preconceived plans about the Bayelsa APC governorship primary.

“Oshiomhole set the process in motion for voting to commence before he excused himself on the grounds that he was going to eat, and he mandated other members of the committee to carry on without him.

“Oshiomhole came to Yenagoa with a clear agenda, which was to get me out of the race at all cost. We are aware that he had been lobbying at the centre to get me out of the race in order to pave the way for one of the aspirants. Indeed, one of the aspirants had boasted openly that Oshiomhole would cancel the primary.

“Oshiomhole should not tell lies, if I was not there, contrary to his insinuation that I rented thugs to manhandle him, the crowd would have manhandled him. I personally accompanied Oshiomhole to the gate when he was going to eat.

“We are shocked that the man who claims to be morally upright with a strong ethical orientation would land in Yenagoa for an exercise in which he ought to be an impartial arbiter with a helicopter provided by a friend of one of the aspirants.”

The leadership of the APC has rescheduled the election to a yet to be announced date, citing irregularities as the reason for the development.