Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described the death of former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, as painful and unfortunate, saying; “It is painful that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government finally succeeded in hounding an Ijaw leader to death just because of his staunch stance on the upcoming Bayelsa State governorship election.”
Reacting to Alamieyeseigha’s death through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor commiserated with the deceased family, former President Goodluck Jonathan as well as the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon Seriake Dickson
and the entire people of the South-South state.
The governor, who prayed for the repose of the soul of the late former Governor-General of the Ijaw Nation, said his death was “an eclipse of a political figure, who despite all political odds, still commanded great respect from his people.”
While blaming the Federal Government for his death, Fayose
said; “Obviously, the Federal Government was behind the plot to extradite Alamieyeseigha to the United Kingdom to face fresh trial, a situation that made him to abandon his medical treatment in Dubai.
“Even though I am not against anti-corruption fight, it is painful that in the present day Nigeria, political vendetta is being allowed to override the sovereignty of the country, such that the Presidency was eager to release to a foreign country, a citizen of Nigeria that had been tried, convicted and later pardoned in accordance with the laws of the country.
“Having been tried and convicted eight years ago, served his sentence
and forfeited properties to the Bayelsa State Government; methinks
Alamieyeseigha should have been allowed to live his life without unnecessary political intimidation and harassment.
“I have consistently asked them why they have closed their eyes to the corruption allegations against their own people. Why is their attention only on people from the Southern part of Nigeria? And now that Alamieyeseigha has been hounded and harassed to death, what else can the apostles of political vendetta do?
“My prayer is that God, in His infinite mercies, will console the entire Alamieyeseigha’s family and the people of Bayelsa State, especially members of our great party, the PDP and also grant them the fortitude to bear this sad and painful loss.”
Meanwhile, more reactions by pan-Ijaw groups on Sunday trailed the sudden death of Alamayiesiegha, with a common stand that the APC should be held responsible for the incident.
In their separate statements made available to the media, the groups said the recent extradition notice purportedly issued by Britain on the former governor aggravated his health condition and his eventual death.
The Ijaw Heritage and Cultural Club based in the United States, in its statement, said it was shocked beyond words by the news of the sudden death of Alamieyeseigha and regretted the circumstances surrounding it.
It noted in the statement signed by Prof. Julius Eteli that Alamieyeseigha’s death was curious, given the fact that he regularly received medical treatment abroad, adding that the former Governor-General of the Ijaw nation had actually returned from such medical trips in Dubai believed to have been facilitated by the Bayelsa State Government.
“From available reports, the Bayelsa State Government has always been of assistance to him, taking care of his medical bills and upkeep. The question is: how can a man who had just returned from Dubai having been attended to by experts die so suddenly? Clearly, it must have been the report of his extradition to the U.K that must have triggered his health condition for the worse and the sudden death”, the group stated.
It, therefore, said the APC government should be held responsible for the death of Alamieyeseigha, noting its alleged role by instigating the British authorities to issue an extradition notice. The group also claimed that the alleged extradition notice, from all indications, was targetted at witch-hunting the late former governor, asking “why wait all these years until now to issue such a notice?”
Another pan-Ijaw group based in Ireland, Izon Diaspora Association, in its statement, also condemned the demise of Alamieyeseigha which it said was caused by the APC government for political reasons.
The group said the sad development was a calculated move by the ruling APC government to silence the Ijaw movement, knowing full well that Alamayiesiegha represented the soul and moving spirit of the Ijaw movement.
“Now that he has been taken out, we Ijaws must fight against this injustice. Now is the time to unite, come together and fight against this calculated and very deadly plot by the APC government to deplete our ranks”, Convener and leader of the group, Comrade George Magbisa stated.
He was full of praises for the Bayelsa State government for standing by the late Ijaw leader all through, noting that only a committed Ijaw governor like Seriake Dickson, himself a leading figure in the Ijaw struggle, could have been so supportive as he did to the former governor.
The group extended its condolences to “the contriman governor, the government and good people of Bayelsa State over the death of the respected governor-general of the Ijaw nation.”
Meanwhile, feelers from the streets of Yenagoa, the state capital, revealed an atmosphere of gloom, anger and a deep sense of loss among the people over the death of the beloved former governor.
Youths seen gathered in street corners discussing the sad incident could not hide their anger and bitterness as they rained curses on the Buhari-led APC government for its alleged role in the sudden death.
