Former Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Mr. Ogeibili Nkumole, has recently suspended indefinitely the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Petroleum), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, former governorship candidate Chief David Ryan and others. denounced.
Naija News reports that the suspension, which was based on anti-party activities in Ekeremor and South Ijaw Local Government Areas, was claimed by Enkumor as having no legal basis.
In a statement released on Saturday, Enkmol described the decision as “invalid” and accused it of being rooted in ignorance.
He maintained that no one at present has the power to impose suspensions as the Bayelsa APC lacks an active enforcement structure from the state level to the ward level.
Mr. Nkmol further stressed that Mr. Lokpobiri remains a committed and respected member of the APC and enjoys wide support among party circles.
He added that Rokpobiri’s strong leadership has earned him solid support from prominent party figures such as former senator Degi Eremienyo and former congressman Israel Sunny Gori.
Enkmol stressed that these stakeholders remain aligned with the Lokpovili leadership and asked that the suspension be disregarded as a “contempt of court”.
The statement reads: “We have noted the announcement regarding the indefinite suspension of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Petroleum), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, our party’s former gubernatorial candidate, Chief Justice David Ryan, and several other chief ministers.” Ekeremole and Alleged anti-party activities by the All Progressives Congress in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
“For the sake of clarity, I emphatically state unequivocally that this purported suspension is completely invalid and an act borne of utter ignorance by the individuals behind it.For the record. Notably, the Bayelsa State branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has no existing leadership across the state from the state level to the ward level.
“This situation arose due to a valid court order issued by Justice LT Kokodia of the Yenagoa High Court on January 20, 2023. The court order also annulled the district, municipal and provincial assemblies held on the said dates and granted a permanent injunction against anyone parading as a party official. suppress.
“As far as I know, this order has not been set aside by a higher court and one wonders on what basis anyone would wake up and announce the indefinite suspension of a key stakeholder and respected leader of the party.” Considering the above, the suspension is in contempt of court and should be completely ignored as you cannot put something in a vacuum.
“The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Petroleum) remains not only a genuine member of our great party, but also a respected leader within the party. The same goes for Chief David Ryan, The same goes for the other chiefs listed on the suspended list.
“The outstanding leadership shown by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Lokpobiri, is why all well-meaning stakeholders in the party firmly support him.Former Senator Bayelsa East, Degi Eremienyo Senator, former Member of the House of Representatives, Blas/Nembe Federal Constituency, His Highness, Mr. Sunny Gori of Israel and many others have shown their unwavering support for Minister Lokpovili’s leadership.”
