Bayelsa: Knocks for Agip over alleged collusion with APC to rig election

The Ijaw Peoples Assembly (IPA) has condemned oil major, Agip, for allegedly making its security platform available to the All Progressives Congress (APC) which was said to have been used to divert election materials for the party and rigged in the last governorship elections.
In a statement on Sunday, the body said Agip’s action undermined security of the state as it also claimed a plot to unleash violence during the rerun election.
Agip was further accused of working with the APC not only by donating about N500 million to support Sylva but also allegedly afforded APC opportunity to unleash violence in Brass Local Government Area and consequently rigged the election.
General Secretary of the Assembly, Dave Ombe, a lawyer, said in the statement that though Agip acted that way due to alleged threat by militants loyal to Sylva to blow up its oil facilities domicilled in Brass but that it was not enough excuse to undermine the security of the state.
It claimed by such illicit support, Agip had put the lives of citizens at great risk in order to satisfy the selfish political interest of a few.
”This amounts to satisfying the interest of a few misguided elements as against the larger corporate existence of Bayelsa State”, the body claimed.
Ombe also hinted that Agip’s support for Sylva was not unconnected with the ongoing probe of massive oil spill by the state government regarding operations of Agip resulting in the destruction of the ecosystem and untold hardship for the people having destroyed their livelihood.
The statement noted that the insistence of the Dickson administration to ensure due diligence on the part of Agip to clean up the spill and pay compensation to the communities affected swayed the oil major’s support for APC but which it said was not in the public interest.
While regretting that Agip could not have done so in its home country, Ombe observed that rather than donate hundreds of millions of naira to support APC to rig election, it should have owned up to its responsibility by accepting to do the right thing and clean up communities damaged by its oil spill.
As he noted: “It’s about time we let this corporate imperialist knew that they cannot get away with such impunity and irresponsible behaviour”.