Gov. Sylva Threaten To Kill Jonathan And Family+Why President’s Men Moved Against Him

Barring any last minute changes, Governor Timipre Sylva’s hope of retaining his seat in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Bayelsa state, may have been foreclosed. Competent sources have revealed that Governor Timipre Sylva, who is the chief

security officer of the state, has become a liability and security risk to the Nigerian security agencies and cannot be trusted with the responsibility of governance.

His actions and utterances, penultimate week, caused panic within the presidency and Nigerian security apparatchiks. President Jonathan was said to be highly disturbed by Governor Sylva`s conduct that he hurriedly summoned a meeting of security chiefs in Nigeria, with Governor Sylva in attendance, to defend himself.

At the meeting Governor Sylva took responsibility for his utterances and conducts, citing frustration on his part and lack of support from President Jonathan as being responsible for his misdeeds. Subsequently, Governor Sylva knelt down and begged the President and the security czars present to forgive him. He was then asked to cease and desist from making threats capable of heating up the polity and return to Yenogoa immediately.

However, security has been beefed up around President Jonathan, his family and interests inNigeria, particularly in his home state, Bayelsa.

To this end “Famou Tamgbei”, a security team, consisting mainly of mobile policemen which was constituted by Governor Sylva and is alleged to be loyal to him, has been disbanded by the Inspector General of police, Hafiz Rigim.

Irked by Governor Sylva’s conducts, leading members of the People Democratic Party (PDP) of Ijaw extraction has begun shopping for his replacement. It is however uncertain if they have the backing of President Jonathan.

Huhuonline.com understands that Governor Sylva in a telephone conversation with President Jonathan`s brother and former Bayelsa state commissioner for Health, Dr. Eruani Azipanu, had threatened to kill him, President Jonathan and his wife, Patience, if he was not re-elected as Governor.

In a telephone conversation with Huhuonline.com, Eruani said:

“Governor Sylva called me one early morning, and I answered and said Good morning Your Excellency. Sylva responded, Please don’t call me that, I heard the President wants to remove me as Governor and install you, so that is why you refused to return as commissioner?

“Let me tell you something. THIS WILL BE THE LAST FIGHT; I WILL KILL PRESIDENT JONATHAN, HIS WIFE, PATIENCE AND YOU. YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THERE IS BOKO HARAM. I WILL MOBILIZE THEM TO YENAGOA AND WILL SINK THE STATE IF YOU PEOPLE MAKE ANY ATTEMPT TO REMOVE ME”.

Our investigation reveals that for several months, Sylva had complained to the Inspector General of Police, Haffiz Rigim that he does not have access to President Jonathan. He said as the Governor of Mr. President’s home state, he was supposed to have unfettered access to the President.

However the president’s inner caucus decided to move against him because of his role during the health crisis of former President Umar Yar’Adua that created power vacuum. According to security reports,it was alleged that Governor Sylva provided Five hundred million naira (N500, 000,000.00) as bribe to the National Assembly to make sure that Goodluck Jonathan does not emerge as acting President.

Attempt to reach Governor Sylva was unsuccessful, calls to his phone were not answered, neither did he respond to our text messages as at press time.However, sources close to the Governor insist that his threats was a political ploy, aimed at putting the President`s men, who are opposed to his re-election on the defensive.

Asked about Governor Sylva’s threats vis-a-vis, his right to freedom of expression, a leading constitutional lawyer from Nigeria, who craved anonymity, said, “Governor Sylva crossed the line, the Nigerian constitution, (Chapter 4, section 33), guarantee every citizen the right to life, and states no one should be deprived intentionally of his life. It is wrong for anyone to threaten another life, talk less an elected Governor to threaten to terminate the life of a sitting President”. This is political suicide, and unless President Jonathan let this slide, Gov. Sylva may have ended his political carrier, he said.

In a related development there are indications that the removal of the former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa, Chief Dairus Obiene, would have negative effects on the struggle by the incumbent governor ofBayelsaState, Chief Timipre Sylva, to secure the party’s governorship ticket.

Investigation  revealed that the governor, who lobbied spiritedly for Obiene to retain his job as part of the grand plan to win the PDP primary slated for November 19, 2011 became worried as the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) approved the appointment of James Dugo as the substantive chairman ahead of the February 2012 governorship poll.

The tenure of the former state chairman was characterised by bickering and series of complaints by PDP major stakeholders and members, regarding lopsidedness in the party’s hierarchy.

President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Sylva and Obiene are from Bayelsa East Senatorial District, a development which generated ill feelings within the party members in Bayelsa.

Also learnt that the  decision of the NWC to ratify the appointment of Mr James Dugo, on Tuesday, inAbujahad terribly rattled the camp of the governor’s loyalists against the forthcoming primary election.

The source further hinted that Sylva had approached elder statesmen from the Niger Delta region and Amanyanabo of Nembe Kingdom, Edmund Daukoru, the leadership of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Bayelsa Founding Fathers Forum, Bayelsa Elders Forum and paramount ruler of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Otuoke community, HRH Lot Ogiasa, to prevail on the president to give him a chance.