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Bayelsa: Timipre Sylva Vows To Reclaim APC Stolen Mandate
Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, has assured that the mandate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, would soon be restored in the state.
Sylva, in a statement he signed on Sunday, apologised to President Muhammadu Buhari for disruption in his schedule following the Supreme Court judgement that aborted the inauguration of Chief David Lyon as the Governor of Bayelsa State.
Sylva, who is the State Leader of the APC, said that he is aware that Buhari and his wife Aisha have concluded arrangements to attend the ceremony when it was cancelled by the Supreme Court.
He called on the people of the State to remain calm, eschew violence and allow the legal team of the APC to explore all options available to the party.
He said: “I want to use this moment to call on all the people of our dear State, Bayelsa, to kindly shun all acts of violence and lawlessness.
“Also of great importance to me is to extend my profound apology to our President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, over the avoidable disruption to his busy schedule which was caused by the events of the moment.
“I am aware that Mr. President and his lovely wife Her Excellency Aisha Buhari had concluded arrangements to travel to Bayelsa to witness the inauguration of the APC Governorship candidate as Governor of Bayelsa State. I therefore extend my apology to Mr. President and members of his entourage.
“To the good people of Bayelsa State, I would like to emphasize the need for restraint at all times. No doubt the events of the last few days are as provocative as they are regrettable.
“But as tempting as it might be for anyone to take the law into their hands, such temptation must be resisted in the greater interest of our State and the political stability of the country at large.
“The Leadership of our great party the All Progressives Congress, APC, has directed its team of Legal experts to study the situation critically and proffer legal options available to the party accordingly.
“We should therefore all remain faithful to, and have confidence in, the wisdom and ability of the party leadership to provide direction at this very sensitive time.
“Once again I call on all people of Bayelsa State irrespective of whatever differences there may be to eschew violence and respect the security measures put in place by appropriate authorities.
“Let me conclude by assuring Mr. President and our party hierarchy that despite this temporary setback, APC in Bayelsa remains strong and its members resolute in our support for the ideals of a greater and prosperous Nigeria as envisioned by our President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari.
“The mandate will be restored and that dream of a better, greater Bayelsa State will be actualised”.
Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has described the planned increase in electricity and telecom tariffs as unconscionable.
The statement comes after the telecoms regulator last week approved the increase in mobile tariffs.
The federal government also recently said that plans were ongoing to increase electricity tariffs “over the next few months.”
However, Sani, who said the government’s plan is unreasonable, insisted that it should be halted.
The ex-lawmaker also expressed his support for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the scheduled protest against the government’s proposal, calling it a welcome development.
“The planned increase in electricity tariffs in the midst of poor power supply and the proposal to increase telecom tariffs is unconscionable and should be halted. The scheduled labour union protest is a welcome development,” he posted on X.
The United States President, Donald Trump, has revealed his decision to cut off all future funding to South Africa, citing poor treatment of “certain classes of people.”
Trump made this known on Sunday in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform.
According to Trump, South Africa was seizing land and mistreating some citizens without concern for the violations of their rights.
“South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY.
“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Trump wrote.
Reports suggest that the American leader may be defending White South Africans, some of whom have alleged that the South African policy is unfair to them.
There are indications that the federal government will on Monday meet with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to stop the planned Tuesday nationwide protest against the 50 percent telecommunications tariff hike.
A reliable source familiar with the matter, who preferred anonymity, disclosed this on Monday morning, noting that the meeting between the NLC leadership and the federal government is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday.
The source said the meeting was a “dialogue on matters of national interest as it affects Nigerian workers.”
According to the source, it will be an inter-ministerial meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), purposely to resolve issues raised by the NLC concerning the federal government’s approved upward adjustment to telecommunications tariffs, which the NLC, its allies, and others are vehemently opposing.
This comes as the NLC is already mobilizing workers for a mass protest tomorrow (February 4) against the 50 percent tariff hike approval.
On Thursday last week, in a letter to affiliate unions and state councils, NLC General Secretary Emma Ugboaja urged them to mobilize other Nigerians to send a serious message to the government.
The planned protest follows the 50 percent telecom tariff approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on January 20, 2025.
The approval had sparked widespread rejection among telecom subscribers.
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