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By Amos Okioma, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa state governor, Senator Douye Diri, has suspended the chairman of an unnamed government agency or board (name withheld) whose statutory tenure would end in 2021.
According to a source, the board chairman, though a People Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, was allegedly involved in anti-party politics and clandestinely worked for APC’s former governor-elect, Chief David Lyon.
Our source said this was discovered by the former governor, Seriake Dickson, but due to his close relationship with the board chairman kept him in office and refused to treat his files till he exited office.
Also, the said chairman had reportedly dabbled into union politics, and allegedly created factions which the national body of the union vehemently opposed and warned him to desist from forthwith. He refused to heed to the warning and for two months running the crisis has led to a halt in collection of check-off dues, which in turn caused adverse and untold effects on the union.
Our correspondent also gathered that the chairman had allegedly “concluded plans to install a staff of the board who is loyal to him and ready to do his biddings, which is an aberration in the union. The board staff has already started exuding the confidence of the union chairman, due to the backing and protection provided by the suspended chairman of the Board, despite letters from the national headquarters of the union, Abuja.”
Hence, when Governor Diri resumed duty and was briefed, he decided to use the sledge hammer on the board chairman, by suspending him indefinitely, even though during his inaugural speech, he extended an olive branch to all the PDP members who defected to the All Progressive Congress and were noted to have worked for the truncated success of the APC, which the Supreme Court later decided in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party.
However when our correspondent sought confirmation of the story from the embattled board chairman, who hails from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, he concord that he was actually suspended, but was not ready to comment on whatever led to his suspension by Governor Douye Diri.
He further told our correspondent, “Am not ready to speak now. At the appropriate time l will talk. I am not ready to talk and you can’t box me to talk at about 4.50pm,” he said.
Recall that during the 2019 governorship election, some PDP members, especially from Southern Ijaw Local government Area, reportedly worked covertly for the emergence of Chief David Lyon whose philanthropy and generosity was his selling point, as majority of them who had either personally or collectively benefitted from him, allegedly entered agreement to “deliver their son.”
Hence, most of the members of the House of Assembly from the four constituencies in Southern Ijaw were unable to deliver their wards, even the former Speaker, Rt Hon Friday Konbowei Benson lost in his ambition for the Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency of the House of Representatives to Hon Preye Oseke.
