APC:

By Shedrack Frank

A Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa, Chief Izzi Yakiah, has said that there is no crisis within the party in the state.

Yakiah, who is also the National Coordinator, Niger Delta Activist Group and Excellent Leadership Foundation, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Yenagoa.

He said that the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has proven himself as a credible leader, saying that aside accommodating all party members, he had also attracted more development to the state.

The APC chieftain said that with Sylva’s leadership style, the party was more united now than before.

This, he said, was in spite the claims by those he described as few misguided members creating the false impression that there was a faction within the party.

“There is no crisis rocking Bayelsa APC. All what you are seeing or reading are issues that had been resolved before the last governorship election, which some mischief makers amongst us are trying to resuscitate.

“In Bayelsa, the party has one leader, which is Chief Timipre Sylva. He has made giant strides in the state.

“He won over 43 per cent of the presidential election in the state, which was the highest in the South-South and South-East zones. Till date, that record has not been beaten.

“Facts are here for us to verify; he was able to win one House of Representatives seat, one senatorial seat and four House of Assembly seats.

“Politics is about ability and capacity. No one can claim to be a leader without followers. You must have sizeable number of followers before you can claim to be a leader,” he said.

Yakiah commended the former governor for doing a lot to ensure that the party remained united in the state, adding “he also ensured that no fewer than 20 APC members were appointed into federal boards and parastatals this year.”

He also said that Sylva had attracted development to the state, citing the inauguration of Content Tower, Brass LNG project, Elebele Power Plant, Emeyal Oil and Gas Park and Brass Fertiliser, among others.

The party chieftain, who described Bayelsa as the least developed state in the South-South zone, urged stakeholders to think of how to attract development and investment to the state rather than attempting to cause unnecessary crisis. (NAN)