The Bayelsa State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reversed its earlier suspension of key party figures, including the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, following an extended party meeting. The meeting, which involved state executives, members of the state Assembly, and local government chairpersons, was convened to address the ongoing crisis that arose from the suspension of prominent stakeholders in Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Sagbama, and Yenagoa local government areas. Among the notable figures initially suspended were Senator Lokpobiri and Chief David Lyon, the APC’s former governorship candidate in the 2019 election.
In a communiqué issued on Tuesday, October 15, at a press conference in Yenagoa, the state capital, the APC explained that the decision to suspend the ratification of the chieftains’ suspensions came after an appeal from the minority caucus of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly. The communiqué, signed by the State Chairman, Chief Dennis Otiotio-Odoni, and the Acting State Secretary, Owutuamo Tamaranpreye, stated that further consultations with party stakeholders would be undertaken before any final decision is made.
The communiqué also condemned the alleged actions of the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Power, Mr. Kharin Kumoku, accusing him of leading thugs in an attempt to burn down the APC State Secretariat. The party called on Governor Douye Diri to caution the commissioner and urged the Commissioner of Police, CP Francis A. Idu, and the Bayelsa State DSS Director to investigate the incident.
The APC Bayelsa chapter reaffirmed its commitment to democratic principles and peaceful conflict resolution, calling on all members and stakeholders to remain focused on the party’s collective goals.
