Bayelsa election: As Dickson walks a tightrope

Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson

Governor Seriake Dickson appears to be walking a tightrope in his re-election bid amid mass defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, writes SIMON UTEBOR

No doubt, Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, is a man to beat in the state’s governorship election coming up on December 5.

Dickson, who was a former member of the House of Representatives, representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Constituency, mounted the saddle of leadership of the state on February 14, 2012.

On his assumption of office, Dickson, a man with an opposition background, having held sway as the Chairman of the defunct Alliance for Democracy, was poised to develop the oil-rich state with a passion.

He started off with many projects such as roads rehabilitation, construction of buildings, schools and other critical infrastructure giving the state an appellation of a construction yard.

But the goodwill enjoyed by Dickson in the first two years of his administration, given his ambitious moves to develop the state, appears to be dwindling.

A cross-section of people in the state say that while Dickson was busy with projects, he woefully failed to focus on ‘stomach infrastructure’ and develop the indigenes.

It is the argument of this set of people that if the governor succeeded in building roads and other infrastructure without indigenes being alive to enjoy them, the whole essence will be counter-productive.

This line of thought, political interests, division in the Peoples Democratic Party, as well as the conundrum of the opposition All Progressives Congress are believed to be currently defining the political atmosphere in Bayelsa.

Some political observers have said that for Dickson to return to the Government House in 2016, the governor needs a divine intervention and must eschew the grandstanding that has left the party’s umbrella leaking uncontrollably.

The suspension of the party’s Chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba (retd) by the State Working Committee and the appointment of Dickson’s mentor and former boss, King Serena Dokubo-Spiff, in his stead, is seen as another albatross around the governor’s neck.

It is believed that the national leadership of the party has yet to ratify the suspension of Inokoba hence the National Working Committee of the PDP still recognises him as the Chairman of the party not Dokubo-Spiff.

Observers believe that if the matter is allowed to linger on until the party’s primary election, the fate of Dickson flying the party’s flag will certainly hang in the balance.

Some Inokoba’s loyalists said the embattled chairman almost threw in the towel recently to join the APC but was prevailed upon to remain in the PDP in order to be able to rock the boat of Dickson at an opportune time.

It is believed that one of the schemes being considered by Inokoba and some aggrieved members, particularly those suspended by the PDP’s disciplinary committee, was to form a parallel executive committee, through which Dickson would be denied the party’s ticket.

Yet, some analysts believe that the rift between Dame Patience Jonathan’s camp and that of the governor is far from being over, as the former First Lady is believed to still be insisting on seeing that Dickson is denied the PDP’s ticket.

The development, the analysts maintained, would invariably have a far-reaching negative implication for Dickson’s candidacy.

Also, some political observers believe that with the seeming polarisation of Dickson’s party, the PDP, and the exodus of PDP’s faithful to the APC, Dickson’s re-election prospects appear dicey.

The crisis in the PDP, which culminated in the setting up of disciplinary committee that expelled many big guns including Senator Emmanuel Paulker, has been considered as one of the governor’s undoing.

With the suspension and expulsion of members, stream of defections has hit the PDP as the sanctioned members have found a new home in the broom party (the APC).

But some sanctioned members are still staying put in the PDP, a situation observers believe, is to enable them to rock the boat and limit Dickson’s chance of clinching the party’s ticket for the governorship poll.

A public affairs analyst, Mr. Igoni Davies, said another factor that would shape the governorship election in the state is the disinclination of Bayelsa residents towards playing opposition politics.

He said right from the inception of Bayelsa State, the people were used to playing pro-centre politics, insisting that he did not envisage any deviation from the status quo.

He opined that with the change of guards at the centre, Bayelsans were likely to jump into the winning ship, irrespective of whether Dickson had performed or not.

He said, “The stream of defections that has hit the PDP lately is an indication that the pro-centre politics has begun. Most of the defectors, apart from switching party to satisfy their ambitions, joined the APC to protect their businesses. I think these are some of the reasons why people are defecting from the PDP to APC.

“If you examine critically the nature of politics in Bayelsa, you will discover that the people are not inclined to opposition politics. They usually prefer to stick with the government at the centre.

“Though many of the defectors claim they left the PDP for APC due to alleged highhanded attitude, lack of internal democracy and all what not, the truth is that they are economical with the truth. They ran to APC to protect their interests. I can assure you that if Goodluck Jonathan were still the President; those who defected would not have done so. I do not believe that they are leaving because of Governor Dickson. That is far from being the truth. You know, human beings are egocentric, self-centred and power seekers.

“For Dickson, I will advise him to double his efforts, try as much as possible to reconcile all the warring factions in the PDP, carry his party members along and focus on the great task ahead. He must realise that there is a fierce political battle ahead. This is not the time to fight many battles but to build bridges across the state to sell his candidature.”

Ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state, two stakeholder groups in the state, the Bayelsa Peoples Consultative Assembly and the Ijaw Renaissance Group, have clashed over Dickson’s performance in office in the last three and a half years.

While the BPCA believes that Dickson has under-performed and that his administration has stagnated the state through harsh policies and programmes, the IRG, a pro-Dickson body, insists that the governor is doing very well.

The BPCA and the IRG in separate statements signed by their leaders, Senator John Brambaifa and Timothy Anibiowei, respectively, disagreed sharply on Dickson.

The BPCA argued that the state deserved a better deal than the retrogression it was being subjected to by the governor.

It pointed out that the government was doing so little to advance the development of the state despite the enormous federal allocations accruing to the state.

BPCA said it was high time the people began to prepare for any government that would take over to salvage the situation.

It stated that the elders of the state had decided to use the expected governorship election to intervene and halt the downward slide of the state.

The group said it would also work with any credible platform through which genuine change could be engendered to redirect Bayelsa’s path from underdevelopment.

But the IRG said the governor had not under-performed, stressing that the BPCA was being used by the APC to discredit the administration and its achievements.

The IRG listed the areas Dickson had made significant impact to include education, health, infrastructure, urban renewal, economic diversification and transparent and accountable stewardship.

“Since the PDP lost the presidency in the last general elections, the APC and its supporters had resorted to myriad of propaganda to run down the state government and its achievements, using phoney platforms as representing leaders and youths of the state,” the ARG stated.

In recent times, the PDP has suffered large movements of its members to the APC with the defections of Dickson’s former ally and Chief of Staff, Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, two-time member of House of Representatives, Chief Warman Ogoriba, and scores of PDP faithful including some of the former aides of the governor.

Those who defected to the APC with Ogoriba and Ikiogha were former commissioners in the state: Charles Opuala, Nelson Belief, Sylvanus Abila, and Ayiba Nelson.

Others are Adolphus Ofongo, Lucky Yeboah, Romeo Ebizimor, Williams Ofoni, John Ebikake, and Moses Tariebe, among others.

Prominent personalities present at the reception were Leader of the party and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva; former acting governors Nestor Binabo and Werinipre Seibarugu; Ambassador Felix Oboro, state Chairman of APC, Tiwei Orunimighe, his deputy, Eddy Julius, Secretary, Marlin Daniel and Publicity Secretary, Panebi Fortune, among others.

In his remarks, Sylva had said the APC was a party to be, saying that come February 14, 2016, APC would be in power in the state.

He said that PDP was already dead in Bayelsa and that the people of the state were only waiting for its funeral, which he said, would come soon.

Ikiogha, who was removed as the COS by Dickson in controversial circumstances and redeployed to the state’s liaison office in Abuja, had said he dumped the PDP because the party was full of deceit and betrayals.

He further said he defected to the APC due to alleged lack of internal democracy in the PDP, stressing that APC was where to be to guarantee change in Bayelsa.

Giving insight on why he dumped PDP for APC, Ogoriba, a two time member, representing Yenagoa/Opokuma Federal Constituency, said he and his faithful left to embrace love, truth and good leadership.

He said, “We need government based on truth and not falsehood. What we hear every day in PDP are lies and falsehoods.

“They build monkey bridge and call it flyover. The PDP government has spent billions of naira building walkways. They brag in the daytime and at night, they beg us to come back.”

He said with the calibre of people and level of acceptance of the APC, its victory was fait accompli, adding that the APC would form the next government in the state.

But the defectors got knocks from the PDP, which accused them of being greedy and traitors to the Ijaw nation.

Spokesman for the PDP, Mr. Osom Makbere, had, while reacting to the defections, said that the defectors were ingrates and people of no political consequence.

Makbere had said, “Some defectors making egress out of the PDP are veterans of the nomadic act of moving in and out of political groups as they do not really place value on ideology or discipline.

“They are people who clearly tide along survival lines, and several of whom were never part of the foundation story of the PDP.”

The PDP spokesman said the defectors, as veterans of nomadic stock-in-trade, were once again embarking on an uncertain exodus.

He reminded the defectors that the PDP is a ship heading for treasure points, saying the party was not bothered about those leaving without genuine reasons.

Dickson himself has always maintained that the PDP, under his leadership, would sweep the governorship poll come December 5.

Dickson described the forthcoming governorship election as a veritable opportunity for Bayelsa people to once more demonstrate their love and trust for the PDP.

The governor, who spoke while addressing political appointees numbering over 400 at the Banquet Hall of Government House in Yenagoa recently, boasted that Bayelsa remained a stronghold of the PDP despite the activities of mischief-makers, who were bent on using propaganda to deceive the populace.

Describing the PDP as strong and united, Dickson noted that all well-meaning Bayelsans believed in the ideals and programmes of the PDP as the only national party that had given the Ijaw people a sense of belonging by providing a platform for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to emerge as an elected president of the country.

He expressed optimism that Bayelsans, as true Ijaw people, would come out in their numbers to express gratitude to the PDP by casting their votes for the party and maintain the pride and dignity of their ethnic nation, rather than support sectional and selfish political parties.

The governor said the PDP had what it took to win the forthcoming polls, arguing that the overwhelming victory of the party in the March 28 and April 11, 2015 state and National Assembly elections spoke volumes of the support the party enjoyed in the state.

He asked the political appointees to gear up for the campaigns, noting that apart from the laudable achievements his administration had recorded to the advantage of PDP in its first term, the party structures were strong enough to clinch victory at the governorship polls.

The grandstanding notwithstanding, the governor had since rallied the elders and groups in the state to come to his rescue.

Dickson in a meeting with the   elders decried the spate of defections from the PDP to the APC in the state, describing such defectors as “ingrates and persons, who do not mean well for Bayelsa and the Ijaw.”

The meeting with elders had in attendance the Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, former Military Governor of old Bendel State, Gen. John Yeri, Chairman of the Bayelsa State founding fathers Forum, Dr. Amba Ambaiowei, and Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Edmund Allison-Oguru, among others.

Dickson, who expressed his feelings at the meeting, noted that most of the defectors were major beneficiaries of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s magnanimity over the years, but abandoned him as soon as he lost the presidential election.

According to him, this is the time when such persons should reciprocate the former President’s goodwill towards them, instead of turning their back against him and the PDP that, practically built them from obscurity to political relevance.

Dickson decried the unwarranted attacks on his government, saying that in spite of the distractions, the administration had continued to promote freedom of speech and expression.

The chairman of the elders forum, Chief Francis Doukpola, had assured the governor that the interaction would foster more understanding and cooperation among stakeholders.

However, in a meeting by another group of elders under the auspices of Assembly of Bayelsa Patriots, they had resolved to galvanise the people into a mass movement to stop the second term bid of Dickson.

The ABP, made up of former National Assembly members, former office holders, elders and youths, said they would frustrate Dickson’s re-election bid through all constitutional means.

The group, had in a statement, entitled, ‘Some Fundamental Reasons Why Bayelsans Must Unite to Stop 2nd Tenure Bid of Seriake Dickson,’ said the PDP government in the state had allegedly fallen short of the people’s expectations.

Chairman, ABP, Major Andrew Oputa (retd.), said the Dickson’s administration, and by extension, the PDP, had broken down irretrievably due to abysmal failure to keep faith with the promises made to deliver good governance, people-oriented programmes, sustainable development, among others.

“It is not surprising that across the length and breadth of Bayelsa, on the streets of Yenagoa, its environs and indeed, all the nooks and crannies of the state, Dickson is now nicknamed, ‘King Saul or the Goliath of Bayelsa State, who is surrounded by sycophants, to desecrate or abuse the trust reposed on him,” he said.

He said the Assembly was opposed to the moves being perfected by Dickson to take another N25bn loan under the guise of completing his several abandoned projects.

Oputa alleged that the governor decided to take the loan to use it to oil his second term agenda campaigns by bribing the same Bayelsans he had deliberately impoverished through wrong and misguided policies.

But former Governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyesigha, had told Bayelsans that Dickson remained the best candidate for the coming poll.

Alamieyeseigha described the Governor’s performance in the last three and a half years as very impressive, visible and commendable.

Alamieyeseigha said, “Under Dickson, we now drive to places which hitherto were not possible. We could see changes springing up here and there before the economic crisis hit the country.

“I think he would have done better, but he was ambitious and wanted to achieve everything within four years. If we bring him back for a second tenure, he will be more strategic, he will no longer learn. He will perform more.”

But a socio-political group, Bayelsa Democracy and Development Initiative, punctured Alamieyeseigha’s standpoint, saying the Governor lacked electoral value.

The BDDI had warned the PDP against fielding Dickson in the December 5 governorship election, saying the party would fail woefully if it allowed the governor to be its standard bearer for the poll.

The BDDI, coordinated by former Chief Press Secretary to former President Goodluck Jonathan while he was governor in Bayelsa, Dr. Konrad Welson, said based on a field research conducted by the group, Dickson lacked a re-election value.

Welson said the group came up with the verdict after its interaction with people from the urban and rural areas of the state involving men, women, students, workers, professional bodies and youths.

Welson had said, “We conducted a field research and survey with the findings showing that a good percentage of people of the state are not favourably disposed to the re-election bid of the state governor.

“The state of affairs is as a result of what the people perceive as a failure to live up to the expectations of the people in electing him (Dickson) in 2011, coupled with his hostile and divisive leadership style and that being the flag bearer of the PDP may lead to the loss of the party in the state.”

He claimed that the group’s interface with the political class and civil society organisations in the last three months revealed deep seated disdain and disappointment in the quality of leadership offered by Dickson.

He alleged that Dickson’s leadership style caused acrimony in the PDP and the inability of the state government to offer basic amenities such as roads, hospitals and potable water in the state after three and a half years in the saddle.

He advised the political class in the state and the entire civil society to work collaboratively in electing the best person as a way of achieving social justice and good governance in the state.

But an elder statesman, founder of the PDP and member of BDF, Chief Thompson Okorotie, said Dickson remained the best foot of the party for the election.

Okorotie said the governor was very much electable, describing him as the best foot of the PDP for the election.

Okorotie said, “First, he has performed creditably, comparatively with any other governor that has ever ruled here. What he did in three and a half years in the state is history. What has slowed project down is purely a function of economic downturn.

“You can only develop with money that you have especially when you are running a government of prudence, more so when you are running a government that is not corrupt.

“He has credibility. Apart from that, he is going into areas other governors did not have the courage to go into. For example, the three senatorial roads, they are federal roads, but he has gone to them. Road has gone to Nembe. Road is approaching Oporoma.”

With the political atmosphere in the state turbo-charged coupled with intrigues and groundswell of criticisms, time will tell if Dickson, popularly known as ‘Countriman’ governor will return to the Creek Haven or not in 2016.