BAYELSA POLL: TENSION GRIPS APC AS DEFECTED PDP CHAIR SLUMPS AT TOWN HALL MEETING

With less than three months to the December 5 governorship election, major tragedy was averted on Saturday in Nembe, Bayelsa State following the sudden slump of the former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Col. Sam Inokoba (rtd), who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). During the incident which happened at a Town Hall meeting in Nembe, tension, fear and apprehension was said to have gripped the leadership of the APC. It was however not clear whether journalists from both print and electronic media were compromised from writing the report of a major incident that took place in public domain.But an eyewitness at the forum who pleaded anonymity said "something funny happened and you don't expect everything to be made public." Sources at the event said the programme was on-going when Inokoba suddenly collapsed and was rushed to a local hospital where he was said to be under intensive care as efforts were being made by medical personnel to stabilise his condition. The Timipre Sylva-led APC leadership inthe state was said to be uncomfortable with the situation and tried to keep the incident away from the press.But it soon became public knowledge when relatives and associates came to the hospital where Inokoba was being treated.Reacting to the development, the Ijaw Young Professionals called on Inokoba’s family and the general public to hold the APC  responsible should anything happened to the former PDP chairman.

Spokesman of IYP, Seighfa Tonye-Brown, in a statement in Yenagoa, berated the APC for attempting to hide the unfortunate incident.According to him, the action of the APC leadership was suspicious and not in good faith.He warned that should anything untoward happen to the Odi-born politician, the action of APC would be called to question.Inokoba, who marked his 70^th birthday in April, the statement claimed, had been in and out of hospital all through last year and till date.

Tonye-Brown added that all the while, his medical bills and welfare were provided by the Dickson-led PDP government.“On several occasions, we were aware that he was flown abroad for medical treatment courtesy of the PDP-led government in the state. Even on the eve of his defection to the APC, we were privy to the fact that he was given the sum of N5 million by the Contriman governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, to proceed abroad for his usual medical check and treatment", Tonye-Brown stated.