The former Governorship aspirant under the umbrella of
the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Timi Alaibe, has
abandoned his supporters as he endorsed his rival in the botched party primary
election, Timipre Sylva, ITRealms
reports.
The endorsement of
Sylva, has been attributed to promise of board appointment and contract awards
by the Federal Government. A deal to this effect was said to have been sealed
at a meeting in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, David Babachir Lawal, in Abuja between Sylva and Alaibe.
ITRealms gathered that the meeting which was initiated by Sylva, a reliable source said, had specific trade-offs that allegedly extracted commitment from Alaibe to support the former governor in his quest to return to the Creek Haven, the seat of government in the state.
According to the source, who pleaded anonymity, part of the deal was that Alaibe would be refunded a percentage of expenses he incurred during the primary election in addition to board appointment and contract awards. On his part, Alaibe as a matter of commitment would have to ensure that his supporters now rally round Sylva and work for his election.
ITRealms gathered that the meeting which was initiated by Sylva, a reliable source said, had specific trade-offs that allegedly extracted commitment from Alaibe to support the former governor in his quest to return to the Creek Haven, the seat of government in the state.
According to the source, who pleaded anonymity, part of the deal was that Alaibe would be refunded a percentage of expenses he incurred during the primary election in addition to board appointment and contract awards. On his part, Alaibe as a matter of commitment would have to ensure that his supporters now rally round Sylva and work for his election.
Alaibe was said to have directed his supporters to work
for Syla but the challenge is that the supporters are not yielding to Alaibe’s
directive. It was gathered that most of Alaibe’s supporters have kicked against
the deal with Sylva, expressing anger that they have been used and
short-changed once again, ITRealms
learnt.
A staunch supporter of Alaibe who pleaded for anonymity said the deal was not in the best interest of the followers of the former NNDC boss, maintaining that it was an arrangement with a personal interest and never that of party members who had suffered with Alaibe over time.
“The truth is that the deal is a personal benefit for Chief Timi Alaibe. In any case, we are not surprised by the deal because that is what Alaibe is known for. He has a way of abandoning his supporters after settling himself. This has been our experience over the years but it won’t work this time”, he stated.
Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE
A staunch supporter of Alaibe who pleaded for anonymity said the deal was not in the best interest of the followers of the former NNDC boss, maintaining that it was an arrangement with a personal interest and never that of party members who had suffered with Alaibe over time.
“The truth is that the deal is a personal benefit for Chief Timi Alaibe. In any case, we are not surprised by the deal because that is what Alaibe is known for. He has a way of abandoning his supporters after settling himself. This has been our experience over the years but it won’t work this time”, he stated.
Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE
No comments:
Post a Comment