Group Condemns Removal of Bayelsa Council Boss

By Prosper Okoye

The Women for 35% Initiative of the Aju Morgan Elumelu Foundation has condemned the reported removal of Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen as Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, describing the development as an attack on women’s political participation and democratic principles.

In a statement signed by the Founder of the Aju Morgan Elumelu Foundation and Convener of Women for 35% Initiative, Amb. Aju Elumelu, the group said Tangi Allen was the only elected female local government chairman in Bayelsa State and had been elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2024.

The group alleged that she had faced political pressure over her refusal to defect to the All Progressives Congress.

Similar concerns had earlier been raised by the Centre for Women’s Rights and Development Initiative, which in July alleged a plan to suspend or remove Tangi Allen and called for protection of her tenure.

Elumelu said the development was particularly disturbing because the chairman had only a limited period left in office, adding that the group had monitored reports of alleged intimidation and political harassment before deciding to speak publicly.

She said, “Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen was elected under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and sworn into office on May 29, 2024.

She received a mandate from the people of Sagbama Local Government Area to serve them, and we believe that mandate deserves to be respected.” She questioned why those interested in the position could not wait to contest for it through the ballot box.

According to the statement, the group was also concerned by reports that Hon. Diepreye Rosline Yankee, described as the councillor and Leader of the House, had been sworn in as Acting Chairman.

Elumelu alleged that Yankee was also a defendant in a suit relating to the matter before the Bayelsa State High Court, where, according to the group, an order for stay of action had been issued on August 10, with the case scheduled for hearing on August 20.

The Women for 35% Initiative said the controversy raised broader questions about the security of women in political leadership and the ability of elected officials to complete their mandates without political coercion.

“If an elected Local Government Chairman can be pressured to abandon the political party under which she was elected and subsequently face impeachment after refusing to do so, and if another person can then be secretly sworn in to occupy the position, then we must ask ourselves: What does this mean for the future of democracy and women’s participation in politics in Nigeria?” the group asked.

Elumelu stressed that the campaign was not about supporting the PDP or opposing the APC, but about protecting women’s participation in governance. “We therefore condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any act of intimidation, harassment, coercion or political victimization against Hon. Mrs. Alice Tangi Allen or any other woman in public office,” she said.

The group also called on democratic institutions, civil society organisations, women’s organisations and human rights defenders to closely monitor developments in Sagbama and ensure that the rights and dignity of elected officials are protected.

The group further urged all parties to pursue constitutional and legal avenues for resolving the dispute peacefully and transparently, arguing that affirmative action for women should go beyond getting women elected to ensuring that they are able to serve their mandates. It said, “Women must not only be given a seat at the table. They must be allowed to remain at the table.”

The latest position comes against the background of earlier calls by women’s rights groups for intervention over the Sagbama chairmanship controversy.

In July, NAN reported that the Centre for Women’s Rights and Development Initiative appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney-General of the Federation to intervene in what it described as an alleged plot to remove Tangi Allen, arguing that political affiliation should not be used as a basis for removing an elected official.