Chairman’s Suspension Tears Bayelsa PDP Apart

There is a cold War between the Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

The Nation gathered that the State Working Committee (SWC) was angry with the Alhaji Adamu
Mu’azu-led NWC for refusing to approve the suspension of the state Chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba (rtd).

Inokoba was suspended by the SWC on February 10, before the March 28 presidential election, over allegations bordering on financial impropriety.
Among other things, he was said to have diverted N40million out of N70million donated to the state PDP for a presidential rally by the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke.

The suspension order was reportedly sent to the NWC for ratification as recommended by the party’s constitution.

It was, however, gathered that the NWC refused to approve the suspension which the supporters of Inokoba and the camp of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, alleged was masterminded by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson and his loyalists.

Irked by the development, the SWC reportedly took the NWC to a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja

The party’s Vice-Chairman in Bayelsa Central, Secretary, Women Leader, Vice-Chairman Bayelsa East and Financial Secretary were quoted as plaintiffs in the suit No. CV/1252/15.

They reportedly challenged the refusal of the NWC to approve a purported suspension of Inokoba.

But the SWC denied dragging Mu’azu and members of the NWC to court, saying the party only sought a court order to stop suspended Inokoba from parading himself as the chairman of the party in the state.