As the Supreme Court verdict on the 2019 Bayelsa governorship election continue to generate reactions across the country, chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have continued to rue the loss, calling on those responsible for the unfortunate development to pay the ultimate prize for their actions or inactions.
A cross-section of the party leaders said that the eventual loss of the APC in Bayelsa is the consequences of the leadership of the APC not sticking to the party rules as well as the highhandedness of the suspended National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo said the blame for the loss lay squarely on the doorstep of the party leadership and failure to follow the set internal mechanism.
In a tweet, he said, “The Supreme Court has been firm and resolute so far regarding pre-election cases and Election Petitions. I commend their lordships.
“As a party, we have to look at our own internal party mechanisms that make us give our victories needlessly away to the opposition and take appropriate actions.”
On his part, Chieftain of the party in Edo State, Charles Idahosa, said the party lost the state due to Comrade Oshiomhole’s recklessness, noting that it is now a trademark for the suspended National Chairman to carelessly throw away the party’s hard-won victories to the opposition.
He said, “I warned about this development some few weeks ago. I said that Oshiomhole is doing more harm than good for APC. I said he is too combative and a troublemaker who thinks he knows more than everybody. This is not Labour movement, this is politics. His recklessness is what is leading APC into this problem that is happening now.
“Why must we win elections and then lose it to the opposition? We lost Zamfara, Rivers and now Bayelsa through carelessness. The deputy governorship candidate of APC in Bayelsa has no certificate but because he was brought by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, anything goes. The party leadership led by Oshiomhole failed to do due diligence and background checks. Prof. Itse Sagay attacked him for being too troublesome and that his actions will kill the party but he blackmailed the old man saying he (Sagay) asked him to contest for the presidency so as to present him in a bad light to Buhari.”
Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Hon. Paul Ohonbamu, on his part, said the suspended National Chairman of the APC should be made to pay the ultimate price for frittering the party’s fortunes.
According to him, “It is now clear that Oshiomhole’s leadership qualities are in question. To forestall further descent to mourning every election cycle, it is only wise to show him the exit door.”
