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Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
In the last quarter of 2011 when hawks around the Goodluck Jonathan presidency had sealed the fate of former governor Timipre Sylva of the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in getting re-nomination ticket of the party, Henry Seriake Dickson, then member representing Sagbama/ Ekeremor Federal Constituency was picked to replace him. Dickson who also doubled then as the Secretary of Goodluck Jonathan Committee of Friends nicknamed, Green Movement, needed recruitments from the political camp of Mr Ndutimi Alaibe to work with him in the bid to oust Sylva. A source who knew what happened then told Daily Sun that many political associates of Alaibe gave Dickson a cold shoulder and the political structure declined to join forces with him even when an offer to produce the running mate was placed on the table.
Douye Diri, a long standing political associate and kinsman of Alaibe however disagreed with his political group and tried unsuccessfully to convince them to work with Dickson. Unable to understand their political reasoning, Diri decided to join Dickson and became a close confidant culminating in his appointment as the Principal Executive Secretary upon Dickson’s assumption of office. In 2015, as a strong member of the Dickson’s political family nicknamed Restoration Team, he was given the ticket of Yenagoa/ Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency; he won and his performance as the poster lawmaker of the Ijaw nation in the Green Chambers earned him the Bayelsa Central Senatorial District ticket against all odds. On the day of the Senatorial primaries, the ticket was almost slipping out of his fingers with his main challenger and kinsman, Prof Seiyefa Brisibe putting up a good fight having defeated him (Diri) in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area. However, Dickson intervened and swung the pendulum in favour of Diri through votes largely from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
And when the race for the Bayelsa governorship ticket gathered momentum with Diri’s name featuring prominently, close observers of Bayelsa politics especially Dickson’s political philosophy anchored on record of service, loyalty and frugal spending of public funds, were looking at the direction of Diri. However, the entry of other political heavyweights and close associates of Dickson from the Restoration team made giving Diri the governorship ticket an uphill task that needed to be handled with political dexterity. By the end of voting by the 1, 253 accredited delegates in the wee hours of September 4 with Diri polling 561 votes beating his former political leader, Alaibe who came second with 365 votes, it became clear that a combination of factors closely linked contributed to Diri’s victory in the primaries.
Dickson, the new godfather
The major accolade for the emergence of Diri would go to Governor Dickson who without any doubt has emerged the new godfather in Bayelsa politics. The plain truth is that Dickson was not on the ballot but he won the election for Diri. His leadership of the Restoration team which from all indications controls 80 per cent of PDP members in the state gave victory to Diri.
“Dickson deployed his political structure to deliver Diri because Diri though a member of the Restoration team had no structure of his own. This was why Nimbofa Ayawei at the last minute also pulled out strategically and communicated his decision to support Diri as Dickson’s candidate to delegates on his side” a source in PDP said
From the moment the Restoration team in Kolokuma/ Opokuma Local Government kick-started the endorsement of Diri, political pundits knew the other seven local government areas would follow suit to pave the way for the emergence of Diri as the governorship candidate. Party sources said Dickson was pained that some close associates who failed to read the political barometer of the Restoration team plunged head-long into the governorship race. “Even when his body language was giving them indications that his preference was for Diri, they closed their eyes to the reality and he allowed them to pursue their ambitions which he considered legitimate knowing that they would fail at the primaries. Some of them were even persuaded to step down to avoid political disgrace but they refused” a top member of the party said anonymously.
“Dickson allowed them to exercise their right to canvass for votes. But look at the votes they polled, the Deputy Governor had 62 votes; former speaker, Konbowei Benson 24 votes; Hon Fred Agbedi 18 votes, former SSG, Kemela Okara 4 votes and the former Chief of Staff, Talford Ongolo had 3 votes even though he stepped down at the last minute. This political disgrace would have been avoided if they had respected the leadership of Dickson and trusted his judgement” another party source added.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Daniel Iworiso – Markson who is also the Head of media and publicity of the Restoration Governorship Primary Committee commended Dickson for providing “uncommon leadership” and for allowing those with “legitimate ambition to vie for offices of their choice.”
According to him, Dickson’s role as “leader of the party in the state and head of the Restoration Government has helped in ensuring that the PDP remains trong, formidable and capable of winning elections any day.”
Dickson who certainly is relishing the victory of Diri, knowing the internal forces he fought to ensure his emergence has chosen to downplay his role stressing that God is the source of power.
“You all have seen what has happened, how once again God pushed back the proud waters and the powerful people who thought that they can get this thing (the governorship) by force. And I will always remind them that power comes from God. If you want power, you go on your knees to pray, to consult and anyone who desires to lead, must first serve and we thank God for what he has done but this is only a first phase” Dickson said at Monthly Praise night, 48 hours after the election.
Restoration Delegates
While it can be conceded that Diri was not laid back in meeting the delegates to sell his vision to persuade them on why he is the best man to take over from Dickson, all his persuasion would have been futile if Dickson had not vanquished other political alliances and groups during the ward congresses and national delegates election where 323 delegates emerged. Also the August 10 local council election produced 121 delegates comprising of council chairmen and deputy council chairmen and 105 councillors. The importance of these 444 delegates in determining the winner of the governorship primaries was why those who alleged that there were irregularities in the ward congresses made serious efforts to turn the table but all were in vain as the Appeal Committee that was set up to treat petitions upheld the election.
For the 121 delegates from the eight councils, their eligibility to participate in the governorship election was tested in the Court. On the day of the election, the vacation judge, Justice Eberiyin Omukoro refused to make pronouncement on their eligibility citing lack of jurisdiction to dabble into a “political, domestic and internal matter of a political party.”
Those conversant with the politics of the PDP in Bayelsa State insist that the 444 delegates are regarded as ‘Restoration delegates’ considering the loyalty they have for Dickson. “It was not that the delegates loved Diri or are persuaded by his argument that he is the best man for the job of the governor but they believed Dickson and voted for Diri because they trusted Dickson for supporting Diri. Diri went into that governorship primary election with confidence that he had bloc delegates votes in his kitty knowing that all what he needed to be the candidate was to struggle with other aspirants to get at least 150 delegates’ votes from the remaining 809 super delegates” a top PDP said.
The implication of allowing the delegates from the congresses and the council election to vote after attempts to bar them failed was not lost on other aspirants as it was believed that the match was already won before the first kick.
“Strangely, the panel set up to undertake this exercise simply imposed on us a list of electoral and returning officers prepared by the state officers of the party who are avowed members of the orchestrated Restoration Team. Thus, the process was deliberately handed over to the Restoration Team. Our protest was ignored”, Alaibe said in his statement titled ‘We Must Move On’ in reaction to the declaration of Diri as the governorship candidate.
Jonathan’s influence
At the commencement of the governorship race, the talk was that it was Jonathan that made Dickson governor and that as former President, he should be allowed a say in who governs Bayelsa. There were reports of “rift, cold war and titanic battle” between Jonathan and Dickson but the duo especially Dickson insisted there was no problem over the governorship race. In one of his media chats, Dickson disclosed that he is one of the final people he would consult on the Bayelsa governorship.
“We know what to do quietly. Even in this transition, if there is one person I am going to sit down with, it is going to be former president Jonathan. “When I am ready after all these prayers, I will visit him because he is an elder and we will compare notes” he said
However, when a mutual political associate of Jonathan and Dickson, King Amatele Jonny Turner and other political associates of the former President pitched tent with Alaibe, the tale was that Jonathan was finally ready to battle Dickson. The events leading to the primary election and the declared result put a lie to that tale. “On the Bayelsa governorship, Jonathan advocated for non-violence, free, fair and credible primaries; he never publicly supported any aspirant” said a source.
However, there were reports that Jonathan was in support of Alaibe but was reluctant to go public with it because of the backlash from Dickson. “Jonathan was for Alaibe and it was easy to know with all his political associates working for Alaibe. It has been days since the election held but Jonathan has not publicly congratulated Diri, who served under him as Commissioner being a nominee from the Alaibe political camp. The decision of Jonathan not to make his disapproval of Diri publicly greatly helped his emergence in a way.”
Unofficial zoning arrangement
There is no official zoning formula for the Bayelsa governorship seat among the three senatorial districts. However, there was an understanding among political stakeholders that the governorship seat should go back to Bayelsa Central since with Dickson as governor, all the Senatorial districts have taken their turns at the governorship seat. Former governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha (Southern Ijaw Local Government) from Bayelsa Central took the first shot. Before the end of his tenure, he was impeached and Jonathan from Ogbia Local Government Area in Bayelsa East was governor between 2005 and 2007. He handed over to Sylva from Okpoama in Brass Local Government Area also from Bayelsa East before Dickson now took over. So for the 2019 governorship election, Bayelsa Central were highly favoured and since three local government areas made up the senatorial districts, the other two local government areas, Yenagoa and Kolokuma/ Opokuma were seriously considered since Southern Ijaw produced Alamieyeseigha. “The issue of justice and fairness played a role in the emergence of Diri. Dickson who believes in fairness and justice had no problems backing Diri from Kolokuma/ Opokuma because it represents what he stood for”, a source said.
Now that Diri has emerged, Dickson and the PDP have a task on their hands to market Diri as a worthy successor of Dickson. How successful they would be able to do that remains in the realm of time.
