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Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
As predicted by political observers, the number of aspirants jostling to clinch the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket in Bayelsa State has proven that the oil-rich state still remains the stronghold of the umbrella party. At the last count, 21 aspirants are selling themselves to the delegates as the best and right person to continue from where Governor Henry Seriake Dickson would stop on February 13, 2020. Indeed, it is to the doggedness and political sagacity of Dickson that the PDP has been able to attract quality and credible Bayelsans aiming to fly the party’s flag in the November 16 governorship election. Regardless of the opinions of some stakeholders on the state of the party in the state, pundits believe history would have a special place for Dickson for braving the odds to stem the raging tide of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015. The political battle Dickson fought and won for the PDP in the 2015 governorship election few months after the party lost power at the centre was the launching pad PDP used to rebuild itself nationally and the reason the party is still standing in the state till date.
This, according to close observers of the politics of the state, makes the choosing of the successor of Dickson by the party in the September 3 governorship primaries a delicate exercise and if not managed well, could mar the chances of the party in the November 16 election. Already, the intrigues on Dickson’s successor have opened a crack in the cohesive structure of the PDP and if the trend continues, the crack could widen and harm the party. From records, those in the race to succeed Dickson are his deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah, Dr Franklin Erepamo Osaisai, Mr Ndutimi Alaibe, Rt Hon Konbowei Benson, Hon Fred Agbedi, Mr Rueben Okoya and Mr Kemela Okara. Others are Mr Kenebi Okoko, Talford Ongolo, Senator Douye Diri, Amb Boladei Igali, Dr Nimbofa Ayawei, Robinson Etolor and Senator Emmanuel Paulker. The rest are Steve Azaiki, Mr C.K. Johnson, Mr Sunday Benson Agadaga, Mr Ayebatonye David Alagoa, Mr Anthony George Ikoli, Mr Joshua MacIver and Tobin Igiri.
Dickson had consistently said he would not impose any candidate on the party, noting that while he is also entitled to support a candidate, his team which is called the Restoration Team comprising of federal and state lawmakers, cabinet members and top government functionaries making up 80 per cent of members of the party would produce the candidate as they are the only ones with the capacity to win election in the state. However, an early discreet attempt to restrict the number of aspirants to the trio of Ongolo, Diri and Kemela by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Affairs, Chief Fyneman Wilson in a statement after the three days fasting and prayer was subtly stoutly resisted by other members of the restoration team, prompting Dickson to declare that the governorship race is open to all members of the Restoration Team. “The Restoration Team has taken a decision to back one of its own to contest the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state. The Restoration Team is inclined to support a candidate from the Restoration Caucus of the PDP for the governorship ticket because of the imperative of continuity and stability in governance. It is on the basis of this that any member of the Restoration Team who has an ambition is called upon to pick the form. The caucus shall make all the necessary arrangements for consultations within the Restoration Caucus of the PDP before taking a final decision on who to support,” Fidelis Soriwei stated in a statement on behalf of Governor Dickson.
Investigations have revealed that the large number of aspirants in the governorship race, including those from the Restoration Team, has become a source of concern. The Secretary-General of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Alfred Kemepado, commended Dickson “for creating a level playing ground for all aspirants to pursue their ambitions to govern the state as he resisted the strong temptation to impose any candidate on the party contrary to the rampant practice across states. He, however, said the straddling of the political space with the high turnout of government officials is not too good. “The events in the Bayelsa PDP where all the top political office holders in the state have indicated interest in the governorship of the state are not too healthy. While it is good to exercise the freedom that flows from democratic governance, it is also pertinent that those expected to be entrusted with the leadership of the state make some sacrifice in the interest of the general good by showing some coordination,” Kemepado said.
Perhaps, more worrisome is the suspicion and political acrimony that has reared their heads in the party, an indication of a fierce political battle among contending power blocs in the state. In one of such cases, a group, the Bayelsa State Peoples Democratic Party Support Group (PDPSG) led by Chief Isaac Ipidei called on the national leadership of the party to probe activities of former President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife, Patience and their associates ahead of the governorship election in the state.
He said: “It is sad that Jonathan is not playing his expected role as a former President and leader. He does not support the party in any way, yet he encourages several politicians to indicate interest in the governorship of the state in the pretext that he is supporting them just for the purpose of creating confusion. A good number of the aspirants are traceable to him, his wife, his friend, King Amatele Jonny Turner. We wish to alert our national leaders that this unnecessary duplicity is a threat to the party in the next election which should be stopped forthwith.”
Dickson however believed that “desperate governorship aspirants” are the sponsors of the PDPSG with the sole purpose to create a gulf between Jonathan and himself ahead of the governorship primaries of the party. In a statement signed by Soriwei, Dickson warned the so-called desperate politicians to leave him and Jonathan out of their quest to take the governorship ticket of the party.
“We have read the publication by the PDPSG and we condemn any attack on the former President. Our suspicion from all preliminary enquiries is pointing in the direction of some desperate gubernatorial aspirants who are doing everything possible to deepen division in the state especially between the governor and the former President for their own selfish advantage. They are doing this because they are aware of the meetings and consultations between the governor and the former President and the governor’s statement concerning the ambitions of some politicians. Our suspicion is that those desperate aspirants are sponsoring publications to take advantage of supposed disagreement between the two leaders of the PDP. The government urges the political aspirants to leave the governor and the former President out of the governorship race and concentrate on what they would do, their agenda for the people of the state,” he said.
The dust had yet to settle on the activities of the PDPSG when the state government through its Special Adviser to the governor on Security Matters, Mr Boma Spero-Jack claimed that it had uncovered “an evil plan by desperate politicians to plant arms and ammunition in the farms and compounds belonging to the State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson.”
Spero-Jack said: “Some politicians who are desperate to hijack political control of the state were behind the criminal plot. Any attempt to tarnish the good image of the governor would fail as Bayelsans and indeed Nigerians are clearly aware of the brand of politics and reputation of the governor as a politician of conviction and not violence. Politicians in the state should focus on their political campaigns rather than engaging in underhand tactics which, he said, do not win elections. Politicians should avoid such desperation and unfortunate tendency towards violence. Security agencies should take the necessary steps to ensure that those behind the plot and their sponsors are investigated and brought to book. Political contests especially at the level of party primaries should be driven by the urge to woo delegates who are the critical factors in the election and not unnecessary acrimony.”
Aside the alarm raised by Dickson’s camp, another group, PDP Integrity Group has pointed accusing fingers at the party chairman, Moses Cleopas, alleging that he is involved in the manipulation of the delegates’ list for the governorship primaries.
Tony Ile, the coordinator of the group, alleged that Cleopas directed statutory delegates to provide details of their voters cards and PDP membership card numbers to the party so as to clone the delegates’ list.
Ile also claimed that thugs and taskforce are being used to collect the items from the delegates without explanations. “The only plausible explanation for the funny act may be to clone the cards in order to exclude some delegates that do not support their preferred candidates.
“The issue of ordering ward and local government executive members of the party to submit their party identity cards and also voters’ card number is surely an attempt to discredit and undermine the good lofty intentions of the national leadership of the party to conduct free and credible primaries of the party” Ile added.
Cleopas through the party’s publicity secretary, Osom Mackbere has dismissed the allegations by Ile, describing the Integrity group as “a faceless group bent on spreading fake news with the motive to destabilise the party.” Mackbere who insisted that there was no such thing with the party also called on the national leadership to investigate the complaint.
As the horse-trading continues ahead of the governorship primaries, how the PDP would navigate itself success-fully without a collateral damage is in the hands of its leaders.
