Intrigues As Nigerian Governor Sets To Dock His Predecessor

The vow by Governor Douye Diri to try his predecessor, Chief Timipre Sylva for the murder of a 30-year-old man is shaking the polity in Bayelsa State, nay Nigeria.

GWG.ng reports that it is about the first time that a former Nigerian governor is to be tried on a felony bordering on human life given that most of the previous trials have been on mostly financial matters and abuse of office.

Diri gave the directive for the trial of Sylva at the burial of the murder victim, 31-year-old George Sibo who was killed at the Bayelsa State Collation Centre, Brass, during the governorship election on November 12, 2023.

The murder victim remarkably, was an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on whose banner Diri ran for re-election.

According to Diri, Chief Timipre Sylva who was the penultimate governor of the state and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC allegedly led party members and supporters to invade the collation centre during which time Sibo was killed.

At the burial of the deceased in Twon-Brass on Thursday, Governor Diri directed the state Attorney-General to commence legal action against Chief Sylva, a former governor of the state, and those who stormed the collation centre.

He stated that as chief security officer of the state, he declined using his powers in the face of provocation against the main opposition party candidate in the election, who prevented the PDP from campaigning in his community, Nembe-Bassambiri.

Diri emphasised that as governor he deliberately did not challenge the alleged excesses of the APC candidate as it would have resulted in the loss of innocent lives.

The governor described Sibo as a hero, who died defending democracy.

He said: “There are a lot of questions to answer. What was the candidate of the APC, Chief Timipre Sylva, doing at the collation centre in Twon-Brass a day after the election? Why did he go there with the large crowd that led to the killing of this young man?

“I am pained and that was why I directed that autopsy be carried out, which has been done. I have further directed the Attorney-General to institute a case against Timipre Sylva and all those that invaded the collation centre that led to the killing of George Sibo.

“The Attorney-General of Bayelsa State will institute the legal action to unravel his killers. The government of Bayelsa State is there to protect the lives of our people. I came here to mourn with you as we inter a promising young man of our state and of Brass kingdom.”

GWG.ng reports that the governor’s directive on the murder charge has stirred a storm in the state with supporters of Sylva supposedly taken off guard by the governor’s action.

The move is about the first time that a former governor in Nigeria will be taken to trial over issues not directly related to financial abuse or related malfeasances.

If Diri goes ahead with his vow on the murder charge, it is bound to further task the political aptitude of Sylva, given the shrinking of his support base since he was governor between 2007 and 2011.

Sylva went into the last election with a divided house with the minister from the state, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and even the popular Dave Lyon who is the penultimate APC candidate, not backing his bid.

The APC in the state is further divided across many factions with Sylva’s faction about the most protruding based on his immediate past appointment as minister of state for petroleum.

Even more, Sylva is not believed to have a strong attachment with the present APC leadership in Abuja and some are saying that the APC in Abuja may not be unmindful allowing him to roast in the murder charge in Bayelsa.

While Abuja has been pulling the strings to defend Dr Umar Ganduje in Kano few expect that the same favour would go the way of Sylva in Bayelsa.

Governor Diri has apparently been preparing for his pound of flesh by warming up his relationship with President Bola Tinubu. It is a posture that has positioned him to deal with a man that he and Abuja consider a common foe.

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