Yenagoa — Facts have emerged on why Senator Emmanuel Paulker, representing Bayelsa Central senatorial district and former chairman of Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, Chief Ebikitin Diongoli, were disqualified from the governorship race on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
The duo had last week appeared before the party’s zonal screening committee in Port Harcourt but were not cleared.
While Senator Paulker was reportedly disqualified based on the non-availability of his Pay As You Earn, PAYE, clearance certificate from the National Assembly, Chief Diongoli was disqualified over alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as council chairman in the state.
But Senator Paulker’s governorship campaign organization described the alleged disqualification as shocking and laughable.
Director General of the organisation, Chief Ayakeme Whisky, while addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, said the supporters of both Paulker and Diongoli could not fathom the reasons for their disqualification by the Screening Committee.
According to him, “neither the senator nor Diongoli was briefed on the basis on which they were disqualified. We later discovered that it was based on spurious allegations, one of which was that Paulker did not attach acceptable tax documents. This was indeed incredulous and laughable. That a sitting senator, who ordinarily, should have nothing against him, should be disqualified by the same party that allowed him fly its flag to the Senate barely six months ago on flimsy excuse of tax papers, is most unfortunate.”
Whisky blamed former President Goodluck Jonathan as the alleged author of the disqualification of Senator Paulker.
He said the initial pressure mounted on the serving senator by former President Jonathan to withdraw from the race and the eventual disqualification, “was a culmination of a well choreographed plot.”
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