Follow Us on Google
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Few days before the March 18 House of Assembly election, Governor Douye Diri did not mince words when he charged members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it must secure the 24 seats in the House of Assembly.
Before the election, PDP was having 20 seats while All Progressives Congress (APC) held four seats and for observers of political developments in the state going by the current strength of the PDP, securing the 24 seats was not a tall order. The complete victory of the party in the House of Assembly elections would have consolidated its hold on the state on the back of winning seven national assembly seats in the February 25th poll and sent a strong signal on its electoral validity ahead of the November 11 governorship election.
However, intrigues from within and without deprived the PDP the bragging rights of absolute victory giving insight into the battle ahead of the governorship election in the state.
The cracks within
The cracks within the party in Yenagoa constituency II and Nembe constituency I which widened during and after the primaries became a source of concern before the elections and it eventually opened the door for the opposition to snatch victory from it.
In Yenagoa Constituency II, the incumbent lawmaker and Chief Whip of the House of Assembly, Hon Mrs Ebiuwou Koku- Obiyai lost to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Amakoromo Waikumo who polled 4,971 as against 4,593 polled by the incumbent lawmaker.
For political pundits, the defeat of Koku- Obiyai was inevitable going by the floodgate of opposition to her being foisted on the party for a third term tenure. The Yenagoa Constituency II seat is usually rotated between the Gbarain and Ekpetiama clans in the area.
Koku- Obiyai from Ekpetiama but married from Gbarain clan had done two tenures and all entreaties that the PDP should produce a candidate from Gbarian were brushed aside. This forced the likes of eventual winner to pitch tent with APGA where he was able to galvanise the people for victory.
“The victory of APGA in Yenagoa constituency 2 is an eye-opener that the people can no longer be taken for granted as the power to vote rests with the people. We pleaded and warned that the party would lose if it presents the incumbent, but all our pleas were unanswered. The result was the defeat. When the party saw the defeat coming, they came to beg the people but it was too late as the people felt betrayed over the third term tenure and they gave their vote to APGA. But this is not to say PDP is not still popular in Yenagoa constituency 2, voting against the incumbent was a protest vote to send a strong message that the party should listen to the people when they talk,” a top member of the party said.
The same scenario played out in Nembe Constituency I, where prominent stakeholders led by a former lawmaker and commissioner, Mr Jonathan Obuebite were at logger heads with the incumbent lawmaker, Hon Ebi Ben Ololo.
Ololo, an influential lawmaker close to Governor Diri who also doubles as the Director- General of the 4 + 4 Prosperity Movement was said to have fallen out with Obuebite over irreconcilable differences. The latter was said to have vowed that Ololo would not return and decided to team up with Gabriel Johan, brother to the former deputy-governor in backing a candidate from AGPA, George- Braah Oteigbanyo.
All emissaries sent to Obuebite to have a change of heart failed. However to prove to that he has nothing against the party, Obuebite who had lost the House of Representatives ticket to Hon Maria Ebikake, worked tirelessly during the February 25th national assembly election to ensure the victory of the PDP.
By the morning of the March 18, Ololo’s fate was sealed as the pendulum of support shifted to Braah Oteigbanyo as he polled 2,928 votes to defeat Ololo who polled 2,356.
Already, the defeat in the two constituencies had generated ripples and names are being complied in the two constituencies for suspension of some members over anti-party activities.
APC, PDP proxy war
Having been comprehensively beaten from the seven national assembly results declared in the state with Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency yet to be declared, the APC had to rally its members to fight back. The leader of the party in the state, former governor Timipre Sylva relocated to the state few days to the election to mobilise for votes.
Of particular importance was Brass Constituency II, which was Sylva’s constituency. Sylva who had lost the Bayelsa East and Nembe/ Brass Federal constituency believed losing his constituency again to the PDP would be a bad signal for his revived governorship ambition. So, he threw everything into the ring. The PDP who had given its ticket to Sylva’s cousin, Austin Adigio also marshalled out all its arsenal in the bid to humble Sylva on home turf. At the end of the day, the APC candidate, Omubo Ayona Timiyo emerged winner polling 3,175 to defeat Adigio. In Nembe II and III, the duo of Edward Brigidi and Douglas Sampon from the APC were declared winners. In Southern Ijaw Constituency IV, Chief Ben Selekaye Victor, brother to ex-militant leader, Ebikabowei Victor- Ben was declared winner beating the incumbent PDP lawmaker, Hon Igbadiwei Ebi Macdonald.
The results of the election have thrown up accusations and counter accusations between the PDP and the APC. A group, the Election Monitoring Group, Transparency Initiatives, led by Dr. Charles Otabor accused Sylva of desperation to win the Brass Constituency II election by excessive show of power intimidating INEC ad-hoc staff.
But Sylva in a statement by his Special Assistant Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru who insisted that the election in the constituency was free, fair and credible cautioned Diri and the PDP against “impulsive lying.”
Sylva while maintaining that the report of electoral malpractices in Brass was “grossly untrue and puerile” said the people went about freely voting for candidates of their choice according to their conscience and their hearts.
“The state government, instead of remedying its incompetence and lack of acceptance, has unfortunately deployed the tactics it inherited from the Dickson days: impulsive lying, violence and a steady desire to attract plastic sympathy.
“What the Douye Diri government does apart from making life hellish for Bayelsans is that it projects its own anxieties, insecurities and natural unpreparedness to others.
“If there are evidences supporting their adolescent claims, it should be presented to the public and relevant authorities. That is what entities serious about their claims should be doing, not descending into a free fall of lies.
“That statement from a non-existing group by a non-existing Charles Otabor, is untrue and demonic and utterly unworthy of public attention and should be considered another gimmick from a faltering illegitimate government.”
However, the state government in its reply through the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mr Ayibiana Duba lambasted Sylva declaring that rigging was his familiar turf.
The government which distanced itself from the activities of the observer group said Sylva should be addressing issues raised and not attacking the Bayelsa State government.
“Instead of addressing the issues raised by the group, Sylva disrespectfully chose to attack Governor Douye Diri in a loathsome and infantile statement that was full of bile.
“What is expected of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart is contrition and not a disdainful arrogance.
“The government notes that like a leopard that never changes its spots, the minister actually returned to his familiar and infamous terrain of election manipulation and rigging once the results do not favour him and his party” Duba said.
The government said Sylva’s woeful claim that the Diri administration was inept and lacked acceptance already had a response from Bayelsans who voted overwhelmingly for the PDP in the presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly elections in the state. The elections, which were a referendum on the performance of the Governor Diri administration, proved that Bayelsa State was indeed 100 percent PDP.
It said the APC and Sylva were only sulking over their terrible defeat and rejection by Bayelsans.
Democracy at play
Diri after taking a cursory look at the performance of the party during the state executive council meeting on Wednesday, March 22nd has however down played the loss of some seats to the opposition declaring that his administration deserved commendation for deepening democracy in the state.
Diri who maintained that his administration has contributed to the growth of democracy in Nigeria during the recent general election said neither the government nor the PDP interfered with the activities of opposition parties.
Rather, he said, the PDP candidates went to the people and spoke to them about his administration’s policies and projects that are impacting their lives.
He challenged anyone analysing the results of the elections in the state to do so with facts and figures and not to speculate.
“We are one state that has feathered the nest of democracy in Nigeria. Anybody who does any analysis should do proper investigation with facts and figures and not to produce write-ups that do not have any meaning to us in Bayelsa.
“We have continued to do our best to ensure that democracy is sustained in our state. We did not manipulate results as that is not our style.
“There was no time in Bayelsa during the elections that we did anything anti-democratic in the state. We allowed the opposition do their own campaigns and never did we stifle them in any way.”
The Director- General, New Media, Mr Kola Oredipe has also weighed in affirming that the APC has been degraded in the state.
According to him, the main opposition party, cannot move the needle in Bayelsa State going by what he called poor performance at the polls.
Oredipe who commended Governor Douye Diri for his stance against violence, intimidation, and the use of thugs during elections said the peaceful 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State can be attributed to Diri’s disposition and personality.
“We had successful elections generally in the state aside from Ogbia violence and the hijacking of materials. In a very long time, we have not had this kind of peace during elections. That is to say that the message of peace and hope by Governor Diri is yielding dividends.
“This election has proven that this land is the land of peace and credit must go to this government. He didn’t achieve it alone. We want to appreciate the people of the state who ensured that peace is achieved.
“I’m sure a lot of Bayelsans are yearning for his return. Giving to the next election which is in November, we want to see more peace in the state.
As it is, the die is cast as the two main parties prepare for an epic political battle in the November governorship elections.
