Diri, Sylva got into verbal spat over charges of espionage, violence.

Timipre Sylva, an APC candidate for governor of Bayelsa State, and incumbent Governor Douye Diri, a PDP official, got into a verbal spat on Sunday over charges of espionage and violence before the election on November 11.

Sylva alleged that Diri had hired spies to track his activities in a statement signed by his Special Adviser for Media and Publicity, Julius Bokoru. Diri, who is running for reelection, disputed the charge, claiming that Sylva was making up information.

According to the previous Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, he had reliable intelligence on this.

“Credible reports available to H.E. Chief Timipre Sylva, governorship candidate of the APC in Bayelsa State, suggest that Governor Douye Diri has commissioned spies across the state, especially at the Bayelsa International Cargo Airport, to document and report Chief Sylva’s movements in Bayelsa and the surrounding areas to some off-grid security architecture in the state,” the statement read.

The goal of this desperate, illegal security operation, which is being led by a close security adviser to Governor Diri, is believed to be to jeopardize Chief Sylva’s convoy and protection.

“This is to warn the general public, in particular the nation’s security services, to be aware of Governor Diri’s use of violence against Sylva and the Bayelsa people, with a particular focus on Opu-Nembe.

“A serving governor’s primary campaign strategy, of course, was to reel off accomplishments and landmarks rather than investing in an organization of violence. Instead of hiring spies, Diri ought to be commissioning projects.

“Bayelsans are overwhelmingly in support of Sylva’s push to Creek Haven, which represents an act of liberation. The Bayelsa state’s soul will be saved from the jaws of individuals who use violence as a fruitless cover for their incompetence. The transformation is imminent and unavoidable.

However, according to a statement from his chief press secretary, Daniel Alabrah, Diri thought that the former minister was behind the conspiracy Sylva was accusing the governor of thanks to his lineage.

“Governor Douye Diri is a well-known pacifist and a proponent of politics without resentment,” stated the statement. He has stated that he won’t go to any lengths to win reelection.

The country’s general election in February/March was so quiet in Bayelsa State—for the first time in the state’s electoral history—that there were no reports of bloodshed or homicides, in contrast to previous elections. This was a result of the governor’s conciliatory nature, which pervaded the state’s politics.

“Chief Sylva excels at making up problems when there are none. We suspect he is the one organizing what he is accusing the governor of based on his prior behavior. However, it is best to disregard the rants of someone who is drowning and looking for a straw to hold onto or who is trying to justify a failed governorship project. He has been completely rejected by the leaders of his party, the Nembe/Brass people, and the Bayelsa electorate.