From: Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Bayelsa State, has vowed to resist any attempt to hijack the party structure in the state.

According to investigations, some politicians, believed to be close to former President Goodluck Jonathan have allegedly begun discreet moves to instigate the dissolution of the party executive in Bayelsa State, claiming that they were loyal to the sacked national chairman of the party, Alhaji Modu Ali Sherriff.

In a petition by Bayelsa State PDP Stakeholders forum to the national chairman of the party, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, and titled ‘Urgent Need to Dissolve the Bayelsa State Executive Committee,” signed by Timipa Komonibo and Preye Ebizowei, Chairman and Secretary, respectively,  the group accused the state executive of pitching tent with the Sheriff camp during the tussle of leadership of the party.

It also alleged that the state executive committee has alienated authentic PDP members and rather romancing with people that joined the party from the Alliance for Democracy and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

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The petitioners requested for the urgent dissolution of the executive council before the party is ruined in the state.

However, in a response to the petitioners, chairman of PDP in the state, Mr. Cleopas Moses, said the party would resist any attempt by anti-democratic forces calculating to hijack the party structure in the state and impose candidates of their choice ahead of 2019 election.

Moses who stated this after a State Executive Committee (SEC)  at the party’s secretariat in Yenagoa,  declared that the party will never allow political jobbers and miscreants to take over the party.

While commending the National Chairman of the party, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, for not dissolving the state party executives despite attempts by some elements in the state that pushed for its dissolution he reiterated that the Bayelsa State chapter of the party was strong and united and assured the national caretaker committee of its readiness to ensure the party grows from strength to strength.

“Having failed to stop the re-election of the Governor in 2016, the same characters have regrouped to undemocratically take over Bayelsa state party structure ahead of the 2019 with the aim of foisting Governor Dickson’s successor on the PDP executives. Their plans will fail and they shall be resisted by this executive. All these anti-democratic forces calculating to hijack state structure to crudely impose candidates of their choices including the PDP governorship candidate on the party shall be resisted by the real PDP family.”