Supporters of Bayelsa chapters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) engage in what signifies onset of hostilities as the December 5 governorship election in the state draws near, Assistant Editor (North), CHUKS EHIRIM, reports
Signs that the December 5, 2015 governorship election in Bayelsa State may be a war by other means began to emerge some days ago when forces loyal to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Governor Timipre Sylva; and Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), clashed in the state capital, Yenagoa, over the politics of refuse dump.
There were reports recently that a major crisis was averted in the state when suspected political thugs in both parties engaged in a free-for-all. The incident, said to have happened at the popular Swali Market in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state, almost degenerated into a bloody brawl but for the prompt intervention of security aides attached to the governor’s convoy.
Describing the attack as barbaric and undemocratic, the Director of Publicity, Restoration Campaign Organisation (RCO), Dickson’s re-election outfit, Jonathan Obuebite, said the attack lent credence to the impression of the Bayelsa electorate on the APC being a violent party.
The organisation, in a statement, argued: “Clearly, the APC in Bayelsa State is not prepared for any election. They (APC members) are prepared for war; but as a disciplined party, as a peaceful party and with a governor like Dickson who came to restore peace to Bayelsa, we advise all our supporters not to allow themselves to be provoked by the APC and its brand of violent politics. We must preach peace at all times and maintain law and order because we are people of peace.”
The organisation advised Bayelsans and other residents of the state to be wary of the antics of the APC members “who are desperate to grab power through the back door by advancing various dubious means”.
The RCO advised the APC and its candidate, Sylva, to look for other sane and more dignifying means of campaign, as this latest style would not secure for him the votes required to be elected.
He added that Dickson is fully committed to governance and ensuring a cleaner and healthy environment for all.
A source told TheNiche that trouble started when the APC decided to turn the poor sanitation situation in the state capital into a campaign issue, by mounting a road show through which heaps of refuse that had, for long, littered the streets of Yenagua, were cleared.
The exercise code-named ‘Flash Sanitation’ was said to have attracted attention to the APC, as market men and women as well as taxi drivers joined in the refuse removal campaign. This, in turn, attracted the fury of Dickson and his supporters, thereby leading to the clash between supporters of the two candidates.
“The APC had spotted the deplorable environmental situation in the state caused mainly by failure of the Dickson administration in waste disposal management and decided to turn it into a campaign issue. Incidentally, the campaign became quite interesting to the common people who may likely suffer if there is an outbreak of epidemic. They joined the APC and this did not go down well with the governor’s camp,” said the source.
A day earlier, the national leadership of the APC had made it clear that the party would leave no stone unturned until it had added Bayelsa on the list of states under its control.
Speaking while inaugurating the party’s Governorship Campaign Council for Bayelsa which included the Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole (chairman), Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (deputy chairman), Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari among many others, APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, cut out the committee’s responsibility.
He said: “The work that this committee is going to embark upon will produce the first progressive governor of Bayelsa State. Let me thank all of you that have accepted to serve in this very challenging assignment. As you can see, it is a campaign council like no other. Our expectation is that all 22 APC governors are going to storm Bayelsa. But what is important is that seven governors have volunteered to give up their time and energy to serve as members of the campaign council.”
The campaign council, he said, has the responsibility to put together an aggressive structure, an aggressive organisation and an aggressive campaign message and help to raise the funds needed to ensure that this message reaches every man, woman and child in Bayelsa, so that come December, the victory will be so decisive.
Also speaking at the occasion, Tambuwal pledged that the committee would do everything humanly possible within the confines of the law to deliver Sylva on December 5, 2015.
“I want to assure you, Mr. President and members of our party, that by the grace of God, we shall not fail you in the execution of this assignment. Thank you for identifying us to come and serve, and service we are going to render. The signals are very clear from Bayelsa, and by the grace of God, Bayelsa is ready for the change train. Bayelsa is set and ready to join the governing party in Nigeria.”
Ironically, some chieftains of the party, who were nominated into the committee, turned down their membership.
One of them is the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank, who told journalists in Abuja that he could not be part of the campaign team because he did not believe in what was happening.
“I was earlier briefed about the Bayelsa campaign council that was inaugurated anyway by a text message that got into my phone. But practically, I refused to attend that programme because I felt I don’t hide my feelings anytime any day. I am an aggrieved member of the APC in Bayelsa State. As much as I remain aggrieved, I will continue to stand my position. I will continue to stand on what I believe. I do not believe in what is happening as at today. That was why, purposely, I refused to attend that function,” he said.
Another member of the committee, who pleaded not to be named, told TheNiche in confidence that he accepted his membership of the campaign team because he did not want to disobey the party, saying “the candidate is not the type to work with”.
Other members of the committee include Deputy National Chairman (South), Segun Oni; National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni; National Vice Chairmen – Oluwole Akinyelure (South West), Hilliard Etta (South South), Emma Eneukwu (South East) and Inuwa Abdulkadir (North West).
Others were Senator George Akume; (National Organising Secretary); Senator Osita Izunaso; (National Youth Leader), Ibrahim Dasuki Jallo and Timi Alaibe, erstwhile managing director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Members of the committee include Segun Runsewe, Ubale Hashim, Matthew Omegara, Preye Aganaba, Mrs. Sally William Chinedu, Prof. MFN Abowri, Usani Uguru Usani, Otega Emerhor, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim, Ayeri Emani, Jasper Azutalam and Senator Heineken Lokpobiri who will serve as the secretary.