By Samuel Oyadongha
Yenagoa—The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bayelsa State, may be heading for fresh crisis, following the decision of some of its key governorship aspirants to leave the party over allegations of fraud in the ongoing screening exercise.

Prominent among the aspirants said to have opted out of the party were the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Timi Alaibe,  Dr. Imoro Kubor, a retired Federal Permanent Secretary.

But the secretary of the PDP in the state, Chief James Angaye, yesterday, said the party has not been formally informed of the intention of Alaibe and Kubor to abandon the party and will not stop anyone interested in seeking political interest in another party in 2011.

A spokesman for the Alaibe campaign organisation, and House of Assembly aspirant, Mr. Akininika Richard, said the Alaibe group had decided to leave the PDP after the events that characterised the screening exercise.

According to him, the decision to leave the PDP was taken after an elaborate meeting, Tuesday night.

“A list of 24 aspirants from the governor has been sent to Abuja and the governor directed that everybody should be disqualified. We are leaving the party to pursue our aspirations elsewhere. We are not participating in their primaries.

“We are going to the Labour Party to achieve our course. The screening was marred by irregularities. Aspirants’ documents were conspicuously missing during the screening. We are feeling politically unsafe in the state right now, in fact the new slogan is No to Sylva in Bayelsa State,” he said.

When contacted the Bayelsa State Secretary of the PDP, Chief James Angaye denied knowledge of the claim of possible exit of Timi Alaibe and some others from the party describing it mere “rumour.”

“We are not aware of any of such moves and if such move takes place, the party can’t force anyone against his will to leave. We have always insisted that we will provide a level playing field for all aspirants in the state,” he said.

Also, Dr. Imoro Kubor, a retired Permanent Secretary, has since moved to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) where his supporters were visibly noticed at the just concluded state congress.

The aviation expert, who midwife the National Directorate of Employment under the military rule had in the past complained about the absence of internal democracy within the PDP and non_availability of level playing ground for governorship aspirants in the state PDP.