Bayelsa: Alaibe Bows To Pressure, Withdraws From APC Governorship Primary

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, September 30th, 2015

By Collins Amadi

BALTIMORE, MD (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Bayelsa ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship aspirant, Ndutimi Alaibe has withdrawn from the rescheduled party’s primary contest.

In a statement he issued Wednesday with the title: “‘For the sake of our party, I withdraw,” Alaibe recalled with nostalgia the zeal, enthusiasm and hope with which thousands of Bayelsans made a statement in the direction of change in August, 2015.

The former NDDC boss who is believed to be the major challenger to another co-aspirant and former Governor of the State, Timipre Sylva also recalled a mental replay of the occasion, wherein a qualitative representation of the leadership of the APC ushered in respected leaders and members from their former party, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Alaibe affirmed that the singular event had been phenomenal as its true meaning and direction had all exuded confidence, unity of purpose, cohesion, collectivism as well as courage.

“As one of such leaders who took that historic decision, I thought of giving a further bite to my burning desire to extricate the state from‎ abysmal leadership failure.

“Therefore, my aspiration to be Governor after series of consultations was to rekindle our collective hope and lift the state beyond its current state of decay under the PDP.

“Regardless, I am not oblivious of the fundamental fact that we all need a virile, united, cohesive and collaborative APC to bring about our desires to fruition. Not only do we need this, APC deserves every sacrifice, including personal interests, to arrive at the envisaged destination come February, 2016.

“This is more so that both as individual leaders and as a party, the need to avoid a situation of crisis that the PDP might inadvertently reap from cannot be over-emphasized” Alaibe stated.

The gubernatorial aspirant noted that having carefully examined the circumstances which had trailed the party’s primary race, he had concluded that pushing his ambition beyond the present point would demand some collateral consequences, despite overwhelming support of his admirers.

“In another vein, the virtuous path to take is that virtuous one in which personal interest are sacrificed for the common good, whether for the APC or the state in general. This is the path I chose in the light of the prevailing circumstances. I therefore withdraw from the governorship primary contest.

“This decision is taken in the interest of our party especially as we face the task of the common challenge‎ of unseating the PDP in the state come December 5” Alaibe restated.

It would be recalled Alaibe and his supporters last week Monday stormed out of Samson Siasia stadium, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the venue of the first primary, on allegations of many irregularities, including prevention of his delegates from gaining access to the venue of the exercise; inflation of delegates among others.

Following this, the ruling APC Monday cancelled the primary, which Sylva claimed he won and rescheduled it. The Governorship poll holds in all the eight local Councils of the South South State which holds Saturday, December 5, 2015.