The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa has told Governor Douye Diri to prepare his handover note as the party plans to take over the reins of power from him.

The APC said the party was working to ensure a landslide victory of its governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva, on November 11.

In a statement by a spokesman in Bayelsa, Tamaratare Zuokumor, the party said all APC stakeholders were more united ahead of the election than in 2019.

The statement said APC would liberate Bayelsa people across party lines, stressing that Mr Diri is wasting his time trying to patronise the APC in his recent complimentary remarks.

“The party is aware Governor Diri is merely trying to make it seem our leader and governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, is the collective enemy of both the APC and PDP. This is lying at psychopathic levels,” said the statement.

It added, “Sylva is the governorship candidate of APC and not APGA, so a sane person cannot say he is fighting Sylva and not APC. When Sylva triumphs at the polls, as he will, it is the APC that ascends to power, not any other party.”

It stated that APC “is more united and stronger than it has ever been, stronger and more united even than in 2019 when we trounced Governor Diri at the polls.”

It added that its “impressive support base, our party leadership and our able stakeholders are fully committed to the Timipre Sylva/Joshua Maciver ticket and all hands are on deck to liberate Bayelsa state, including thousands of PDP members with good conscience who have chosen state over politics.”

The statement also mentioned that the party “forbade Diri from making further patronising statements about the APC,” adding, “one cannot dislike you and love your child; it is a futile, manipulative attempt at a Trojan horse.”

“Diri should reserve his false patronage and rather tell Bayelsans why he deserves a second tenure after a horrendous four years. The APC will win this election in a landslide, including Governor Diri’s own LGA, Kolokuma-Opokuma, where he has been loudly rejected by his own people and where crushing defeat for him is now sure,” the APC explained.

It noted that the “face of Bayelsa state will be restored and our great party, the APC, loved by the good people of our state and deemed a credible alternative, will coast to victory come November 11.” 

(NAN)