LAWMAKER TAKES STEPS TO EMPOWER YOUTHS

The Lawmaker representing Southern Ijaw constituency two in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr. Monday Obolo-Bubou, as part of efforts to empower youths of the area has made provision for forms to enable youths get enlisted into the Nigerian Army. He enjoined qualified youths of the various communities in the constituency to take advantage of the ongoing registration.

In a statement by the Secretary to the lawmaker, Mr. Mao Onini said interested youths from the constituency should come for collection of forms from the constituency liaison office at Bowing Plaza, Ebi’s Road Biogbolo, Yenagoa.

The statement adds that such persons should come with their local government identification certificate and a letter of recommendation from the paramount ruler of their communities.

SYLVA DISMISSES LATE NIGHT ORDER ON DICKSON’S CANDIDACY

Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timpre Sylva, has dismissed as “strange, despicable, and untenable” an Abuja Federal High Court order granted late Wednesday night under an unusually heavy police presence, which compels the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Mr. Seriake Dickson as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 11 February governorship election in the state. The governor calls on INEC to challenge the “immoral, ungodly and pathetic” court order obtained by fraud in the dead of the night.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Doifie Ola, Sylva says the order and the processes leading to it are “a grave insult to the integrity of the judiciary”.

Governor Sylva notes that prior to the events of Wednesday, he had instructed his lawyers to do a permanent search at the court registry to monitor the judiciary in case his adversaries were up to any tricks. Through the search at the registry, his lawyers found the pendency of a suit filed by Dickson against INEC requesting for an order of mandamus to compel the electoral commission to publish his name as the PDP candidate for the 2012 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State.

He explains that when the finding was brought to his attention, he instructed his lawyers to file a joinder, as an interested party, requesting a stay of proceedings on the suit, pending the determination of the motion for joinder.

Sylva observes that on Wednesday, 17 January, both parties were in court until 6.30pm, and about that time, the registrar of the court called the lawyer to Dickson into the chambers. The governor’s lawyer was not invited, but he followed them into the chambers. In the chamber, the judge, Mrs. Olotu, Sylva says, pointedly told his lawyer that she did not invite him, but the lawyer insisted he was an interested party in the matter and deserved to be there.

The governor notes that at this point, the judge threatened his lawyer with armed policemen, saying if he does not go away, the police would be instructed to throw him out forcefully. Out of respect for the institution of the judiciary, Sylva’s lawyer left the judge’s chamber, but he remained in court till 9pm, when about 100 policemen were brought into the court premises to forcefully chase out the lawyer and other sympathisers of Governor Sylva.

Sylva syas he later learnt that 15 minutes after the police action, after his lawyer and supporters had been chased out, an order was granted by the judge.

Sylva is aware that what Dickson sought was an ex parte motion for relief to compel INEC to put his name as PDP candidate. But the judge went ahead and granted not only the leave to compel INEC to publish the name, but also the mandatory order to compel INEC to put Dickson’s name as the PDP candidate.

The governor observes that in so doing, Justice Olotu determined the substantive relief sought by Dickson at the ex parte stage, which meant that INEC was not heard, his application for stay was not heard, and the relief Dickson was seeking has been heard at this preliminary stage.
Governor Sylva sees this process as strange to the country’s laws and bemoans the infractions as sad for democracy and the rule of law in the country. This, for him, shows clearly the desperation of the forces ranged against him and poses a threat not only to the people of Bayelsa State but the future of democracy in Nigeria.

“It is sad that on these matters that are awaiting determination at the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, a judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria will go ahead to hear and give a ruling,” Sylva notes. “This amounts to judicial rascality and impudence”

Governor Sylva observes that there was enough material before the court to show that the subject matter of Dickson’s application was a matter of litigation at the Supreme Court. He interprets the Justice Olotu’s action as sitting on an appeal that is before the Supreme Court.
Facts available to the governor indicate that there was no affidavit of urgency to the suit by Dickson. The suit was filed on Tuesday this week, assigned on Wednesday and heard on the same Wednesday.

Sylva sees the speed with which the matter has been determined as a clear pointer to the fact that the judge was interested not only in justice but in some other special interests.

Governor Sylva, however, remains confident in the judiciary and believes that despite the temporary setback, he would use the law to right the manifest injustice. He urges his supporters to remain calm, law abiding and peaceful, as they have always been.
He is in no doubt that the injustice cannot stand.

FILLING STATIONS SHUT GATES AGAINST MOTORISTS

Following the federal government reduction of pump price of fuel from one hundred and fourty one naira to ninety seven naira per litter, several filling stations have shut their gates against motorist in the state.Here in Yenagoa it has been confirmed that only NNPC was selling while those of independent marketers were under lock and key.

The NNPC mega station along Sani Abacha express road is entertaining a long queue of vehicles, motorcyclist and consumers of kerosene. Speaking on the development, an educationist and lecturer at the Niger Delta University, Mr. Felix Okolo advised independent marketers to reverse to the new pump price and open their gates to the public.

At Akenfa, an independent marketer, Mr. Boniface Raymond attributed the closure of the station to the attitude of customers who are compelling them to sell at the new price even though they bought the product higher than the new pump price of ninety seven naira.

Speaking on the development, the state controller of the department of petroleum resources, Mr. Duncan Eradiri, said officials of the DPR have been going round service centers to ensure compliance with the presidential directive. He cautioned that anyone caught selling above the approved pump price of ninety seven per litter will be sanctioned.

FIRE OUTBREAK IN OGBIA TOWN

Residents of Ogbia town were town were thrown into confusion following a fire outbreak that destroyed several buildings and properties estimated at millions of naira. According to eye witnesses, the fire may have been caused by an overheated pot on a stove in one of the affected buildings.

It took the intervention of several persons to put out the fire. The Police and the Army participated in securing properties rescued from the inferno. Residents of Ogbia town are appealing to the Local Government and the State government to come to their aid.

LAWYER SAYS CHIEF SYLVA REMAINS LEGITIMATE CANDIDATE OF THE PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP)

Mr. Fred Agbaje, a constitutional lawyer says Governor Timipre Sylva remains the legitimate candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in next month’s governorship election. He explained that his conviction is based on the fact that the nomination of the Governor in last January Primaries has not been invalidated by any competent court of law.

The lawyer who spoke on a live television programme said there is no provision in the electoral act that empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject Chief Sylva as the PDP candidate. Mr. Agbaje added that by not publishing any name in the column of the PDP, INEC has created a fertile ground in Bayelsa State for the reenactment of the case of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

The legal practitioner also emphasized that Governor Sylva was in order to seek redress in court challenging what he called his illegal exclusion from the Governorship race in Bayelsa State by the PDP.

ANGALABIRI TOWN GETS NEW COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (CDC)

Speaking at the inauguration of a twelve-man Community Development Committee (CDC) in Angalabiri in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the Chairman of the Local Government Prince Peres Peretu has advised the newly elected CDC to do everything possible to move the community forward. Prince Peres Peretu noted that the long misunderstanding between rival groups had been responsible for the stalemate in the community and advised that it was time for all to bury the hatchet and move forward. Mr. Peretu and some elders of the community had intervened in the crisis rocking the community which made it possible for the election to take place.
Responding, Chairman of the CDC, Mr. Solomon Zitare thanked Prince Peres Peretu and the elers for the intervention. He also promised, on behalf of the committee to bring Angalabiri back to its lost glory and sought the cooperation of all. The committee includes Dautare Eleyelagha as Vice Chairman and Tamarabrakemi Charles as Secretary.

TWO MAJOR BRIDGES AT OPOLO-ELEBELE ROAD THAT LINKS YENAGOA TO OGBIA TOWN IN BAD SHAPE

The attention of the state government has again been drawn to the state of disrepair of two major bridges linking the East Senatorial district to the state capital by road. The bridges are situated on the Opolo-Elebele road links Yenagoa to Ogbia Town, headquarters of Ogbia Local Government Council, Nembe and Brass. The Acting Obanobhan of Ogbia, King George Lawson noted that the road and bridges originally constructed by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria were to enable them to gain access to their facilities have become major routes linking the state. According to the Acting Obanobhan of Ogbia, the bridges now constitute a major death trap to road users and called for urgent action to effect repairs. King Lawson therefore appealed to the state government, local government, the federal Road maintenance Agency FERMA and the Shell petroleum Development Company of Nigeria to come to the rescue of travellers plying the rout. It would be recalled that last month, Radio Bayelsa reported the state of the bridges with a call by road users for urgent repairs.