Echoes of the forged election results presented to the Bayelsa State election tribunal by Chief Timipre Sylva and his APC are still reverberating, many weeks after the tribunal made public the shocking disclosures, with the Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, describing the former minister as a man without character and honour.
On Friday, Diri had announced his plans to dragged Sylva to court over the killing of George Sibo during the November 11 election. The announcement did not go down well with Sylva who responded swiftly, saying Diri was merely afraid of the pending case at the court of appeal where he had gone to challenge the decision of the election tribunal.
Twenty four hours after, Diri was to fire back, reminding Sylva of the criminal act he committed at the election tribunal by presenting fake result sheets. He wondered why the former is still talking about the same election and hoping to secure victory at the court of appeal.
Diri also expressed shock that Sylva could not identify with members of the slain PDP youth’s family after the boy was killed at the INEC collation centre, hours after Sylva had invaded the centre, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act.
In a statement by Diri’s chief press secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah on Saturday, Diri said “we have read His Excellency Chief Timipre Sylva’s impassive reaction to His Excellency Governor Douye Diri’s directive to the state Attorney-General to commence legal action against him and others behind the killing of 31-year-old George Sibo on November 12, 2023 in Twon-Brass, headquarters of Brass Local Government Area of the state.
“As usual, his reaction was mindless and lacked any feeling of contrition. Such glaring disdain is consistent with those who place no value on human life. Only their selfish, self-serving interest matters to them.
“It is just as ridiculous that Chief Sylva, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11, 2023 governorship poll in the state, could turn around to deny and feign ignorance of the dastardly killing of a young man; an act he instigated by his own action.
“If the APC candidate, an interested party in the election, had not invaded the INEC collation centre in Twon-Brass and held hostage officials of the electoral umpire, would George Sibo have been attacked and killed by his supporters and party men?
It would have been better for Chief Sylva to show remorse instead of this vile show of dancing on the grave of the slain Brass youth. It also amounts to sheer prevarication to claim Governor Diri was desperate in an election that was his to win; and which he won convincingly.”
Diri maintained was merely trying to dance on the grace of the slain youth and at the same time stand the truth on its head by his bare-faced denial. He said with his action, it showed that he was a man without character.
Hear him: “Sylva’s feckless effort to stand truth on its head only reinforces the generally-held opinion that he lacks character and honour.
“It is only a man who relishes in untruth and lies that would claim a “stolen mandate” in an election that was adjudged by the National Chairman of his own party as credible and won freely by Governor Diri, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate.
“Undoubtedly, there was no “electoral heist” in Bayelsa on November 11, 2023 except only in the warped imagination of Sylva and his dyed-in-the-wool associates. By the affirmation of the Bayelsa electorate and the imprimatur of INEC, Sylva has no mandate to lay claim to. We advise him to pick the pieces of his already saturnine political misadventure and move on.
“Perhaps, the serial governorship contestant has forgotten the criminal indictment of the tribunal hanging over his head like the ‘Sword of Damocles’ for presenting forged electoral documents to the court.
“Let it be clear, however, that Governor Diri has no reason to be afraid of Sylva. But the governor remains his albatross because of his political forthrightness and for his ability to dismantle the violent political culture that the likes of Sylva enthroned in the state.
“Today, elections in Bayelsa are no more a do-or-die affair. November 11 was a referendum on the new political culture and Bayelsans overwhelmingly preferred Governor Diri. They will not go back to Egypt.”
