Timipre Sylva, an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor of Bayelsa State, has charged Governor Senator Douye Diri with hiring spies to track his whereabouts.
In a statement sent to OBASANJONEWS24 on Sunday and signed by his Special Adviser for Media and Publicity, Julius Bokoru, Sylva claimed that he had reliable information to the effect that spies operating throughout the state, particularly at the Bayelsa International Cargo Airport, had been instructed to track him down and report his whereabouts to an off-grid security system in Bayelsa.
The former governor said that the governor’s close security aide was orchestrating the spying operations with the intention of jeopardising his convoy.
He urged security organisations and the general public to pay attention to Diri’s use of violence against him and the Bayelsa people in general, with a concentration on Opu-Nembe.
According to him, following his defeat in office, Diri turned to despair, violence, and shady tactics rather than adopting the policy of commissioning and inaugurating projects to persuade the electorate, like other incumbent governors seeking reelection.
According to the statement, “Credible reports available to H.E. Chief Timipre Sylva, Governorship Candidate of the APC in Bayelsa State, suggest that Gov. Douye Diri has commissioned spies across the state, particularly at the Bayelsa International Cargo Airport, to document and report Chief Sylva’s movements in Bayelsa and the surrounding areas to some off-grid security architecture in the State.
The goal of this desperate, illegal security operation, which is being led by a close security adviser to Governor Diri, is believed to be to jeopardise Chief Sylva’s convoy and security.
“This is to warn the general public, in particular the security agencies across the country, to be aware of Governor Diri’s violent campaign against Sylva and the Bayelsa people, with a particular concentration on Opu-Nembe.
“A serving governor’s primary campaign strategy, of course, was to rattle off accomplishments and landmarks rather than investing in an organisation of violence. Instead of hiring spies, Diri ought to be commissioning projects.
“Bayelsans are overwhelmingly in support of Sylva’s push to Creek Haven, which represents an act of liberation. The Bayelsa state’s soul will be saved from the jaws of characters who use violence as a fruitless cover for their incompetence when change is imminent and unavoidable.
Daniel Alabrah, the governor’s chief press secretary, responded to the accusation by stating that Diri is a well-known pacifist and a supporter of politics without resentment.
He (Diri) has vowed he won’t shed blood to win re-election, according to the statement.
The country’s general election in February/March was so quiet in Bayelsa State—for the first time in the state’s electoral history—that there were no reports of bloodshed or homicides, in contrast to previous elections.
“This was caused by the governor’s calm demeanour, which penetrated the state’s politics. Therefore, Chief Sylva is merely making up problems where none exist.
We suspect he is the one organising what he is accusing the governor of based on his prior behaviour.
“However, it is wiser to disregard the rants of a drowning guy who is looking for something to cling to or who is trying to find reasons why his governorship ambition failed. He has been completely rejected by the leaders of his party, the Nembe/Brass people, and the Bayelsa electorate.
