Sylva ‘using Buhari’s name to intimidate INEC’

President Muhammadu Buhari has been warned to call Timipre Sylva, Bayelsa state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to order, else his reputation will be tarnished.

According to Buhari Support Group (BSG), Sylva has been engaging in actions capable of destroying the office and reputation of the president, including using the president’s name to harass agencies such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“We ask President Buhari to prevail on Sylva to immediately stop using his name to promote his ambition in fraudulent ways since he does not have the permission of the President to do so,” the organisation said in a statement issued on Sunday by its leader, Ebiowei Tarabina.

The group specifically accused Sylva of using Buhari’s name in a manner similar to name-dropping, with a view to putting pressure on institutions of the federal government to do his bidding.

It said its intervention was a patriotic step to save the president and his reputation from being used to destroy institutions like INEC, the military and the police as a desperate political action by the APC candidate.

It stated that as followers and key supporters of Buhari, it felt highly embarrassed to see the flagrant dropping of the president’s name by Sylva to hoodwink federal officers in the state to do his bidding, particularly in attempts it said were meant to compromise the rerun election of January 9 in his favour.

“We condemn Sylva’s behaviour because it amounts to fraud and a complete disservice to the office and reputation of Mr. President.

“Unknown to Mr. President, his name is being fraudulently used and so flagrantly to trick officials of various federal institutions like the army, police and INEC to undertake and embark on illegal duties regarding the supplementary election in Southern Ijaw slated for January 9. Sylva must stop this fraud forthwith, the President must necessarily call him to order for sanity.”

It cautioned that if nothing was done to check Sylva, his action could result in total destruction of federal institutions.

“Since a nation is as strong as its institutions, efforts must be made to keep them above board at all times. It is important to allow the will of the people prevail at the rerun election by ensuring that the process is free, fair and credible,” the group said.

“The sort of abuses to which Sylva has subjected federal institutions ahead of the supplementary election, particularly the military and the police, are inordinate and reprehensible.

“We therefore call on our beloved President to publicly take a stand to show to the world that he has no preferred candidate in the Bayelsa election and no one authorized to use his name to fraudulently advance any political ambition or undeservedly advance their electoral value.”