The nomination of Senator Heineken Lokpobiri as a minister by
the All Progressives Congress-led government at the centre to represent Bayelsa
State has continued to generate more tension among the intelligentsia in the
state.
The Bayelsa Solidarity Forum has therefore called on the
National Assembly to replace him because of his questionable political
antecedents both as a former senator and Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of
Assembly.
“It is on this premise, that we are calling on the leadership
of the National Assembly to have a re-think over the nomination and the
screening of Lokpobiri. If truly the APC stands for what it has been
professing, the name Lokpobiri shouldn’t have come up in the first instance,
let alone sending it to the Senate for ratification,” the BSF said in a
petition by its Secretary, Godspower Belekumo-Davidson, to the National
Assembly.
The group catalogued the sins of Lokpobiri against Nigerians
and the people of Bayelsa State both while in the state House of Assembly and
as senator of the Federal Republic.
Belekumo-Davidson said: “For record purposes, Heineken
Lokpobiri was elected as a member of the State House of Assembly in 1999 and
subsequently became its first speaker but was later impeached in 2002 for gross
financial misconduct.
“Also, he spearheaded the bombing of the administrative wing
of the State House of Assembly complex. He was on self imposed exile in Port
Harcourt, Rivers state for many years. This was done in a bid to escape police
arrest.
“In 2011, Heineken Lokpobiri contested on the platform of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but he lost to the Labour Party (LP) candidate,
Rt. Hon. Perembowei Ebebi, who was the clear winner of the election.
“The then chairman of Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, had on national television called for
the arrest and prosecution of Senator Lokpobiri who was caught with a ballot
box during that National Assembly election that was conducted by INEC on April
9, 2011.
“Jega said, ‘a Senator is to be prosecuted by INEC for
electoral malpractices. The senator commandeered corps members and election
materials to his house. We are discussing with security agencies about having
him apprehended and prosecuted.’
“When Ebebi appealed to the court, a horde of miscreants
sacked the court and destroyed court documents. Matters became worsened. In
some amazing abracadabra, whereas the law court wanted Lokpobiri prosecuted, he
somehow managed to wriggle himself out of trouble and was declared the eventual
winner.
“During the December 7, 2014 primaries, drug-inebriated thugs
tried to disrupt the national assembly primaries of the PDP in Sagbama but were
repulsed through the timely intervention of law enforcement agents. This has
since been followed by reprehensible attempts to suborn the courts to subvert
the course of justice and to obtain judgement through the back door. The
self-styled “Hitler of Ekeremor politics” is living true to the sobriquet he is
so proud of. For him politics is war by some other means and all is fair in
war.
“The security report at our disposal revealed that Lokpobiri
has recruited some thugs from Ekeremor end of the State to unleash violence
during the governorship election slated for Saturday, December 5, 2015. To
carry out the dastardly act, over 50 speed boats have been bought.
“The list of his nefarious acts is endless. That is why we
are surprise that people like Lokpobiri could make the list of our respected
President, General Muhammadu Buhari.
As a body, the issue that we are raising is neither personal
nor political; it is in the interest of the entire Ijaw nation. While other
states are well represented, we will not fold our hands by allowing Lokpobiri
to represent our interest.
“The National Assembly should ask him, as a senator representing
Bayelsa West senatorial district, what impact as he made. We are saying no to
the candidacy of Lokpobiri. We have credible people, even in APC that can
represent our interest.”
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