20/08/2017
The Government of Bayelsa State has noted with dismay, the crisis that engulfed the State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress on August 18, 2017 during the inauguration of a factional Chairman of the party in Yenagoa and wish to react as follows:
1. That the State government hereby condemn in strong terms the crisis and regretted the loss of lives occasioned by the ugly incident .
2. That for the past six years, Bayelsa State has witnessed unprecedented peace and harmony due largely to the capacity and determination of Governor Seriake Dickson to ensure that peace reigns in the State to attract the necessary development.
This is as a result of regular consultations with stakeholders and the huge investments made on security infrastructure in the State, including the conceptualization of Operation Doo-Akpo in collaboration with the Police.
3. That the recent event was indeed a replay of the last APC governorship primaries in Yenagoa when a former APC governor had to be whisked away to safety due to the level of violence .
In fact, violence has been a regular feature in APC political gatherings as the party has not matured enough to evolve a mechanism to resolve minor internal party differences.
The crisis engendered a state of pandemonium in Yenagoa City and it was a reminder of the bad old days when prominent citizens of State had to leave Bayelsa for fear of their lives.
4. That during the crisis, a section of Yenagoa metropolis was shut down completely as hundreds of APC youths from both sides, brandishing AK 47 rifles and other dangerous weapons took to the street menacingly and firing sporadically, thereby bringing commercial and social activities to a halt.
5. That as a government , we will not stand by and watch the APC members unleash terror and violence on law abiding innocent citizens to the extent of getting people killed.
6.That members of the APC should henceforth desist from their violent tendencies and inclinations as the era of politics of violence is no longer tenable and fashionable and that they should endeavour to conduct themselves decently and in a civilized manner whenever they have cause to come to together for political activities .
7. That the Bayelsa State Government profoundly sympathizes with the families of those that lost their lives as well as those that were injured as a result of the bloody fracas.
8. That the Bayelsa State Government commends the security agencies for their timely intervention in bringing the ugly situation under control and urges them to investigate and prosecute the culprits to serve as a deterrent to others.
9. That the state of affairs on Friday, 18th August, 2017, whereby innocent law-abiding Bayelsans and other residents of Yenagoa were forcefully prevented from going about their lawful duties and subjected to absolute mayhem by gun-totting rival members of the APC, is totally unacceptable and cannot be tolerated by this Government. Henceforth , any person or persons no matter how highly placed, suspected to be behind such brazen breakdown of law and order in the state, will be subjected to the full rigours of the law.
Signed:
Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah(rtd)
Acting Governor, Bayelsa State.
