Bayelsa Commissioner Resigns, Defects To APC

The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr. Otobo Ibarakumo, has resigned his appointment with the Seriake Dickson administration with immediate effect.

Ibarakumo and his army of supporters on Wednesday dumped Dickson’s Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress in the state.

Apart from Ibarakumo and his supporters, a former Director, Centre for Youth Development, representing Nembe Local Government in Dickson’s administration, also defected with his supporters to the APC.

At an elaborate event that took place at the state APC secretariat at Yenizue-Gene, Yenagoa, many leaders of the party were on ground to receive the PDP defectors.
Present at the ceremony were a member representing Brass Constituency 1 in the Bayelsa House of Assembly, Israel Sunny-Goli; Mr. Wilberforce Igiri, running mate to former Governor Timipre Sylva in 2015 governorship election; State Chairman, APC, Jonathan Amos; member, Board of Trustees, Peres Peretu, among others.

Receiving the new members into the APC, the Leader of the party in the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, represented by Sunny-Goli, congratulated them on their decision to dump the PDP.

He boasted that the APC would take over the Creek Haven (Bayelsa Government House) in 2020, urging party faithful to come together to ensure the defeat of the PDP.

He said the PDP government in Bayelsa was only suffering the people without anything to show for it, alleging that there was culture of poverty and lack of welfare for the people in the state.

Sylva said, “I want to congratulate Mr. Igbarakumo Otobo and all their teeming supporters for making this wise decision, because this is the best decision you can make for yourselves as a people and for your people.

“The Seriake Dickson government prides itself as a government of restoration but we do not know what they are restoring. I can tell you that they are restoring poverty in the land.

“And they have succeeded in doing that. It is time for us to come together and ensure that come 2020 we take over Creek Haven. You hear about the sack of workers in the civil service, killings because of peaceful protest by our people. These are not what the people bargained for in the last election. But today that is what we see because their reforms have failed.

“Now, they are talking about actions taken to explain the truth to the people. That is what they should have done before  embarking on the reforms. It shows that the government has no ideas on governance and it is our duty as members of the APC to come and take over the state so that we can align with the Federal Government to bring goodies to our state.”

The APC chairman in the state, Jonathan Amos, reechoed Sylva’s position, saying that the APC was more than prepared to wrest power from the PDP in the state.

“APC is party to be. Come 2020, APC will take over Bayelsa. We are here for good things. As you can see, under the PDP leadership in the state, people are being sacked and there is much suffering in the state,” Amos stated.