APC will produce next Bayelsa governor, chieftain boasts

The All Progressives Congress (APC) will produce the next governor in Bayelsa State, a former Commissioner for Youths in Bayelsa State Mr. Ibarakumo Otobo has boasted.

Otobo declared: “The APC will claim Bayelsa. We are working to produce the next governor.

“We believe in the leadership of former Governor Timipre Sylva. He is the brains behind our impressive performance in the last elections and his leadership will take us to greater heights,” he said.

He said the party had shifted its focus to the December governorship election in the state following conclusion of the general elections.

Otobo said the APC performed well in the just-concluded elections in the state and was already building on the feat ahead of the governorship poll.

Otobo, who spoke in Yenagoa, alleged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) used the military to intimidate APC leaders adding that despite the excesses, he was able to win his Tombia community for his party’s House of Assembly candidate.

“In my Tombia community, we faced a lot of intimidation from the military.

“The military did not play the neutral role they were supposed to play. They were quite partisan and they supported the PDP”, he said.

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Otobo commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) describing its performance in the elections as impressive.

He said the commission upped its game in all aspects of the election including logistics, timing and card reader performance.

Otobo said the APC members in his area comported themselves very well in the face of persecution and shunned violence throughout the exercise.

He said: “We have done very well in Bayelsa and I am happy that we worked together to win my community for the APC House of Assembly candidate.

“The PDP candidate came from my area but we won her. In Tombia community, we comported ourselves very well. We are a peace-loving community so we refused to be violent despite provocation.

“We have shown them that PDP is not an Ijaw party. Rather Ijaw people have the right to choose a political party of their choice.

“We have shown them that in Tombia community and in other communities in Brass, Southern Ijaw and Nembe Bassambiri, we chose the APC”.