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Ahead of the rescheduled primary by All Progressives Congress, APC, to pick its flagbearer for the December 5, governorship election in Bayelsa State, the battle to clinch the ticket is assuming a dangerous dimension, as one of the contenders, Timi Alaibe, yesterday, raised alarm over alleged plots to smear his name. He had alleged that elements within the APC that would not want him to win the primary  are out to soil his name and image all in an attempt to make him unpresentable to the delegates, culminating in the possibility of him losing out during the primary election.

This came as Chairman of APC in the state, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, insisted that it stood by alleged victory of former Governor Timipre Sylva, at the disputed primary Tuesday, insisting that the rejected primaries was free and fair and that Silva won convincingly. He insisted there is no point in conducting another primary election, since the first one was well accepted by all and sundry in the state. He also insisted not to be aware of any element in the APC organizing snare campaign against Timi Alaine.

Alaibe, speaking through the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation, claimed that some faceless groups planned to sponsor violent protests in Yenagoa and Abuja to discredit him. Spokesman of the campaign organisation, Patterson Ogon, in a statement in Yenagoa, said: “The faceless groups have perfected plans to print T-shirts and vests in the name of Alaibe and are planning to stage violent protests in Yenagoa and the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja.”

Ogon alleged that the politically motivated plot to rubbish Alaibe’s name was part of plans to frustrate him ahead of the rescheduled primary for the APC governorship ticket, with the hope of edging him out.

The statement read in part: “It has come to the notice of the Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation that some faceless groups have printed T-shirts and vests in the name of Alaibe and have hired thugs to stage violent protests in Yenagoa and at the National Secretariat of the APC in Abuja. Their plan is to cause havoc and transfer the blame to Alaibe.”

But APC Chairman in the state, Chief Orunimighe, insisted that the primary had been won and lost, arguing that reported cancellation of the election was baseless and unfounded. He insisted that he accepts Timi Silva as the winner, since there is nothing to prove otherwise. He said the state chapter of APC is not preparing for any primary election, since it had all been concluded last week Tuesday.

“As Chairman of Bayelsa APC, I am not aware of any cancellation of the primary. With all due respect to the National Chairman of our party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, he said nobody should make an announcement except they cleared with him. I want to believe that people who made statements from the national secretariat did not have clearance with him. So, I believe the cancellation rumour does not stand. For now, election has been held and I think that is how it stands. Chief Timipre Sylva won the primary conducted last Tuesday,” he said.