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Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Senatorial bid of the immediate past governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Henry Seriake Dickson received a major boost on Tuesday as the chairmen of all the community development committees in Ekeremor Local Government Area endorsed his candidacy.
The CDC chairmen were led to Chief Dickson’s country home of Toru-Orua, Sagbama Local Government Area by the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Solomon Agwanana, the Chairman òf Ekeremor Local Government Area, Mr Perekeme Bertola, and the Vice Chairman, Mr. Randy Awolowo, who are all from Ekeremor.
Bertola said that the high powered Ekeremor delegation decided to embark on the solidarity visit to Chief Dickson’s country home to reinforce their position on the existing arrangement on power sharing between Sagbama and Ekeremor Local Government Areas, which are the two councils making up the Senatorial District.
He said that the political leaders of Ekeremor, the CDC chairmen, the leaders of traditional Institutions and youth presidents have all met to sustain the long standing agreement which shares the two National Assembly positions of Senate and House of Representative between the two councils.
The Chairman of the forum of CDC chairmen, Mr. Iyemontonghan Etume, who is also Chairman of the CDC Ekeremor town, said that the zoning arrangement must not be subverted for the sake of posterity.
He said that since Ekeremor has produced the member representing the area in the House of Reps, in the person of Chief Fred Agbedi, it was only fair and just, and in the spirit of the zoning for Sagbama to complete the tenure of Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, from Sagbama who is now Deputy Governor.
Dickson in his response stated that he remains a proponent of the agreement on zoning and would ensure its sustenance.
The Senatorial ambition of former Deputy Governor, Chief Peremobowei Ebebi, has caused division within the membership his party, the All Progressives Congress In Sagbama Local Government Area.
Meanwhile 900 protesting members of the APC have stormed the Toru Orua country home of Dickson to defect to the PDP in protest against the violation of the arrangement on zoning of the National Assembly seats in the Senatorial District.
Mr Ekadi Tonbiri Desire who spoke on behalf of the group said that they decided to pull out of the party because of the violation of the existing agreement on zoning of political offices between Sagbama and Ekeremor.
He described Ebebi’s emergence as deliberate and unacceptable oppression of APC members in Sagbama Local Government Area by the APC.
Desire stressed that the aggrieved members defected from the APC because of their belief in Chief Dickson’s ability, and readiness at all time to defend the Ijaw interest.
In his remarks, Chief Dickson said that the APC leadership was executing a deliberate plan to cause needless division and tension in the Senatorial District which shouldn’t be allowed.
