Segun James looks at the twists and turns in Bayelsa State over the choice of candidates for next year’s general elections The crisis in Bayelsa State over elective state and federal positions ahead of next year’s general elections had been creeping. But of late, the problem has seemed to be thrown open to the public, though not many of the affected politicians in the Peoples Democratic Party are talking about it. However, the strain in the relationship between President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson over control of elective positions became evident following a recent outburst by the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. Friday Kumbowei Benson. Benson was alleged to have berated the president for endorsing the return of National Assembly lawmakers from the state even against the wish of the governor. The speaker is one of the only nine members of the state legislature endorsed by Dickson for re-election to the Assembly. This will be his third coming. Dissension But piqued by the president’s insistence on the return of the National Assembly members, the supporters of Dickson, who has been angling for the ouster of his former colleagues at the federal legislature, are said to have concluded plans to move to the opposition All Progressives Congress. Dickson’s supporters, many of whom have resigned their positions to contest the 2015 elections, were forced to jettison their ambitions following the president’s intervention. THISDAY gathered that a meeting had been held between the governor’s supporters and top leaders of the APC in Abuja to iron out the details of the alleged defection. Plots Alarmed by the implication of losing his home state to a rival political party, the Jonathan camp are said to have concluded plans to go to battle with the embattled governor. One of the plans being hatched is to use the angry and disenchanted lawmakers in the state Assembly to impeach the governor or whip him into line for the insubordination. The other plan is to use the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, the political machine of the president now under the control of former political office holders in the state in the administration of ex-Governor Timipre Sylva. Sylva is the leader of APC in the state. His then deputy, Chief Werinipre Seibarugu, is the state chairman of TAN. Alternative But contacted, the state chairman of APC, Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, would not confirm if any meeting was held between his party and Dickson’s men. But Orunimighe said APC was the only platform available for the people of the state to participate in politics. He said, “In the PDP, all the doors are closed. There is no space for the people to aspire to any political position. The door of the APC is the only one open to them.” Bone of Contention The subject of disagreement between Jonathan and Dickson is alleged to be the latter’s breach of an understanding he had reached with the president in 2012, when he became governor, to do only one term. If this is true, then Dickson looks set to face the same treatment that the president had meted out to Sylva in 2012 to facilitate the incumbent governor’s rise to power. The former governor had been controversially excluded from the PDP governorship primary even while in office. However, speaking to THISDAY, an APC stalwart and blogger in Yenagoa, Mr. John Ayebaralate Okhai, described both Jonathan and Dickson as selfish politicians who do not have the interest of the people of the state at heart. Okhai said, “Bayelsa people have realised that Jonathan stopped Sylva’s re-election in favour of Dickson for anything but the good of Bayelsa State. Dickson is destroying Bayelsa, taking the state several steps backwards, despite the huge resources at his disposal. It is a good thing that he has finally fallen out of favour with his godfather. This is an ideal opportunity for Bayelsa people to reclaim their state. Jonathan has failed Bayelsa and Nigeria. Dickson is even a worse failure.” Okhai said APC represented the best way forward for Bayelsa people. Dickson seems to be in a difficult situation whichever way the pendulum swings. Jonathan is believed to have decided to sponsor the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs and Social Events, Dr. Waripamowei Dudafa, to emerge the next governor of Bayelsa State in 2016. So if Jonathan is re-elected next year, he will be in a good position to execute the plan. Yet, if APC wins, Dickson would also hardly have a place, as the victory will stand the party in good stead to take control of the state with the influence of Sylva. Denial But the state chapter of TAN has dismissed as false claims by some politicians in the state that the wife of the president, Dame Patience Jonathan, had concluded plans to use the organisation as a tool to unseat Dickson. The publicity secretary of TAN in Bayelsa State, Chief Nathan Chief Egba, a former Commissioner for Information under Sylva, said the allegation was unfortunate as the TAN is a socio-political organisation set up to mobilise the people of Nigeria towards the re-election of Jonathan. Egba said, “TAN has nothing whatsoever to do with any plot to unseat the Bayelsa governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson. The group was established to publicise the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. There is no member of the Bayelsa TAN that is working against the administration of Governor Dickson in the state.” On TAN’s relationship with the First Lady, Egba said TAN in Bayelsa State considered it an honour to interact with the Wife of the president based on her position as his most dependable ally. “We will relish any opportunity to interact with the wife of the president towards the realisation of the re-election bid of the president in 2015,” Egba stated. Paulker Meanwhile, Senator Emmanuel Paulker has condemned the alleged statement by the Speaker against Jonathan’s endorsement of National Assembly members from the state, saying Benson should apologise to the president. The Senator Emmanuel Paulker Campaign Organisation said in a statement signed by Pastor Ebiowei Sokare, “As a campaign outfit that is willing to debate issues, we refuse to personalise this response. Therefore, we will not dwell on the sleeping and rubber stamp Assembly that Rt. Hon. Benson has turned the Bayelsa State House of Assembly into, from a house that was previously known for its robust debates and premier role in legislative business in the country. “It is the same Rt. Hon. Benson that has the temerity to insult the person of the president. We demand an unreserved apology from Benson for the insult on Mr. President.” Opposition But the secretary of South-South Peoples Assembly, Dr. Ayakeme Whiskey, decried the decision of the president to grant automatic tickets to serving senators from the state, saying the action will have negative effect on the body politic of the state and the country. Whiskey, who is also eyeing the Bayelsa West senatorial district seat, said that the decision was unjust and undemocratic. He said, “The decision should be reviewed. It is an injustice to aspirants who have submitted themselves to provide effective representation to their people. “Most of us have committed our money and have been doing underground work to actualise our aspirations. I call on the leadership of the party to review the decision, otherwise, we will feel the party has done injustice to us and we will protest it. The decision is undemocratic and should be stopped forthwith.” Whiskey said the endorsement was an attempt to “impose a non-performing” legislators on the people, saying, “Let the senators come to the people they are representing and if they are accepted, the people will volunteer the mandate to them. But if the party decides to award party tickets to them, it will portend great danger for the party.” Crisis Meeting The rift in Bayelsa PDP also manifested during a recent meeting between stakeholders and the president. Word had been sent around that Jonathan wanted to meet all leading politicians, especially aspirants, in the state in a meeting to be held at the Presidential Lodge of Government House, Yenagoa. The president was in the state capital ostensibly to “rest”, but as was gathered, it was actually to try to settle the political crisis rocking the state. This followed a rumble in the polity and the raging battle over who become the candidates of PDP in the 2015 elections. Immediately the presidential helicopter touched down at the Government House helipad, the president and Governor Seriake Dickson, with the state chairman of the party, Col. Sam Inokoba, and top politicians in the state entered for the meeting. It was supposed to last for several hours as all grievances were expected to iron out. But, surprisingly, the meeting lasted for less than one hour. For the first time, the otherwise taciturn president was blunt and direct. Since politicians in the state had refused to read his body language, he had to tell them in plain terms. Also, the meeting brought out the fact that the much rumoured fallout between the president and Dickson was, indeed, true. The president was said to have bluntly told Dickson that he could not select the National Assembly members who would work with him, as he was not going to select the House of Assembly members who would work with Dickson. The president, therefore, told all National Assembly aspirants to withdraw from the race, as he intended to return all the present National Assembly members. He stressed that since his second term, if he wins next year’s election, would be plagued by several intrigues, he could not afford to allow new senators and House of Representatives member who would be learners to represent the state. He urged them to accept the situation as he could not afford any crisis on the home front. Two days later, the president, reportedly, drove to the home of the former governor, Diepreye
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 06:39:53 +0000
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