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12—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 How Dickson handed power to APC By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa It was the literary icon, Professor Chinua Achebe of blessed memory who wrote in his epic novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’ that “Those whose palm kernels have been broken for them by benevolent spirits must not forget to be humble,” and if there is one man whose palm kernels were broken for him by benevolent spirits, it is incumbent Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson. The routing of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 16, 2019, governorship election in Bayelsa State by the opposition, All Progressive Congress (APC) marked a watershed. It signifies the end and beginning of a new area in the political annals of in the state. Interestingly, the APC which was repeatedly taunted by the ruling party in the build up to the poll as lacking the needed presence and structure to make any significant impact has turned around to dislodge the latter from Creek Haven, the romantic name for the seat of power in the predominantly riverine state where politics has remained the only thriving industry. Perhaps, the current blame game rocking the PDP in Bayelsa State could have been avoided if Governor Seriake Dickson had allowed stakeholders have their way during the September 3 primary of the party that produced Senator Douye Diri. The primary, according to some aggrieved party stalwarts, was designed to favour Diri, as against many of the stakeholders’ choice, Chief Timi Alaibe, whose popularity and acceptability cuts across the various segments of the state. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who though did not openly endorse any of the aspirants jostling for the party ticket was said to be favourably disposed to an Alaibe candidature. But Dickson, according to informed sources had zeroed in on Diri as his successor, having worked closely with him over the years. He was also said to have The leader of the party became so powerful that he decided who got his patronage shunned entreaties from a former President, and other prominent Nigerians to support Alaibe. In a leaked audio recording that went viral, Dickson said he does not reward disloyalty and only governorship aspirants from his restoration caucus will succeed him. Saturday Vanguard check revealed that the refusal of the governor to shift ground was being exploited by his traducers, putting the blame of the party’s defeat at the door steps of his Restoration Caucus, (Dickson political family). Members of the group, who are mainly aides of the governor, regarded themselves as more PDP than those outside its fold, not minding the consequences of their action on the fortunes of the party, lamented Azi Enato. He noted with sadness that the leadership of the PDP in the state which could have allowed party supremacy reign over other interest groups within its fold, with a view to fostering party discipline and cohesion was helpless ostensibly because it was foisted on the entire members by the governor. Thus, the chairman and other executive members of the party looked the other way and egged on the Restoration Caucus when things were going bad. The leader of the party became so powerful that he decided who got his patronage. The Restoration family also boasted that the governor’s successor must come from within its fold thereby fencing out other gubernatorial aspirants who were considered outsiders irrespective of the sacrifice they have made for the party when many of the restoration caucus members were not even known to be members of the PDP. To some PDP chieftains, the loss of the state to APC after PDP’s dominance for the past 20 years was chiefly as a result of Dickson’s foisting of Senator Douye Diri on the party through a flawed primary designed to throw up the latter. According to pundits, the people voted overwhelmingly for APC because Dickson as Diri’s sponsor did not show sufficient respect to Jonathan. In the first instance, Dickson did not consult with the statesman about Diri’s candidature. He just picked him in a stage-managed primary, aware that Jonathan was also interested in a different candidate, they claimed. The former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, who is believed to have the backing of Jonathan and seen by many stakeholders as a tested technocrat with the requisite war chest to fly the party flag, came second in the primary. M a n y stakeholders were not impressed with the process that produced Diri and the party was hit by gale of defections. A large number of the party field commanders and tacticians moved on to the opposition party while several others who chose to stay back were indifferent to the party during the election. Even in the face of seeming trouble, Dickson was still boastful, adding that the defections to other political parties would have little effects on the fortunes of PDP on November 16. Alaibe was among those who took exception to the process that threw up Diri and chose to challenge Diri and PDP in court. The bad blood caused by the primary election was contagious as even some appointees of the governor began to throw in the towel one after another. Unruffled by the turn of events in the party, the PDP under Dickson watch was still upbeat about party victory at the governorship poll with or without those defecting to the APC, insisting that Bayelsa was a PDP state. The state chairman of the party, Moses Cleopas had in a statement said the Bayelsa people and followers were not with the defectors, who according to him, lacked the requisite character, principle and integrity. He bragged that the PDP won convincingly in the 2015 guber poll in spite of the defections and would repeat same feat without such “unstable characters.” Though Dickson promised that PDP’s candidate would emerge from within his government, nevertheless assured that he would not impose a candidate on them and advised aspirants waiting for him to anoint them and impose them on the people to have a rethink. He said any of the aspirants, who felt they had the experience and capacity should go and make their case to Bayelsans. He said: “I led a party to victory against a vicious opposition. I alone can lead PDP to battle, I have done it repeatedly. You saw the election; there will be no form of manipulation. People talking about manipulation are anticipating that they should be imposed. I’m not going to impose any of them. Any of them who feel they have experience and capacity should go and make their case to the people of Bayelsa State.” Dickson’s intransigence that he can overcome the mines on the path of the PDP without other stakeholders and deliver his anointed candidate, no doubt, presented the flood-prone state where the PDP’s umbrella had held sway for two decades, to the APC’s broom, on a platter of gold. Some political pundits have queried what happened to the three days prayer, fasting and vision which he subjected the people to partake, under the guise of seeking God’s intervention for his ‘predetermined successor’. They wondered how the former president, Goodluck Jonathan and other critical stakeholders who had made sacrifice to the keep the party afloat at its time of need were treated as strangers within the party because they were not members of the Dickson Restoration political family and such their inputs not needed in the choice of who succeeds the outgoing governor. “The PDP should blame itself for picking an unpopular candidate instead of blaming it on others. Crying foul and insinuating that Jonathan was used to cause PDP defeat is ridiculous and disrespectful,” said some top stakeholders. Also some stakeholders in Ogbia Local Government insisted that the not so impressive performance of the party in the area in the just concluded governorship election rested on the door step of the governor who they argued was fully in charge of the party structures and the entire machinery of the state. According to them, the party leadership failed to listen to the voice of wisdom that warned about the looming defeat, as a result of the shabby treatment meted to the area and sidelining of the former president and other critical stakeholders. “He called us out to the battle field by his actions, deeds and utterances. Ogbia brotherhood represents the daring spirit of the Ogbia Kingdom. Never will she waiver or retreat from any challenge no matter where it is coming from. Last Saturday was no ordinary elections in Ogbialand and Bayelsa state. “A revolution of the ballot and true to type, no blood was drawn across the land yet the tempest was roundly tamed. It was a contest to determine the true meaning of the brotherhood. It was a clash of wills, the idea of a fair and inclusive Ogbia kingdom over the tyranny of power and opportunity. From the beginning, it was never in doubt that the brotherhood of the Amangalas would triumph. “Now, as we prepare to relegate the past to history, another history beckons once again. The damaged psyche and fabric of the brotherhood must be repaired. Together, we must rebuild broken walls and the once revered decency and generous spirit of a kingdom we love must be reinvented. We have no better place to call home. Let us reinstate the pride and prosperity of a land that gave us the meaning of brotherhood,” said Macaulay Jokori, in a veiled reference to the spanking of the PDP at the poll. John Ebimobowei, a teacher, said he is saddened by the outcome of what he described as Dickson’s overconfidence which has cost the PDP the governorship. “I blame the party poor outing on Governor Dickson’s overconfidence and I think this should be a lesson to other governors. He singlehandedly chose an unpopular candidate from the Senate to become governor and also chose his running mate which is against the wish of the people,” he said. But Dickson at a world press conference in Yenagoa described the governorship election as charade and a carefully orchestrated plan to forcefully take over Bayelsa towards entrenching a one party system. “This was not the first time that we are having elections. People were killed, some ripped open and thrown into the river and up till now no arrest. As democrats, we believe in using democratic procedures in challenging what happened in Ogbia. “In Ogbia, there was no collation done. In most of the areas, at the conclusion of voting, the soldiers came and rounded up everybody and forcibly took them to Ogbia town and asked all PDP leaders to leave to enable them replace pre-written results. And so the results announced for Ogbia, like those for Southern Ijaw and Nembe were not real. What has happened in Bayelsa is one of the most brazen acts of distortion and rape of our democracy. “What took place was not a democratic election. It was a military coup. It was the height of conspiracy by the federal government and security agencies to subvert the democratic rights of our people for the sole purpose of foisting the APC on the people. “It has never been like this before. In 2015, it wasn’t as bad as this. In this case, not only was the Army directed to take over our place, but also to collude with the APC thugs to unleash terror on our people.” He however urged Bayelsans to be calm adding that the reprehensible acts against democracy would be addressed through democratic procedures. Dickson also described as balderdash, the notion being bandied about by APC leaders that it was disagreement between him and former President Goodluck Jonathan that led to their Pyrrhic victory, emphasizing that Jonathan remained a leader of the entire country whose image and reputation was too weighty to be dragged in the mud by the opposition party.
SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019—13 KOGI: Ugly side of the Guber election By Boluwaji Obahopo, LOKOJA The November 16 governorship election may have come and gone, but the exercise left bitter pills in mouths of many. Ballot box snatching, intimidation, killings marked the election. Only the 2007 election violence where the Egbira people from Central senatorial axis turned against themselves could compare to what happened last weekend. Then, facing an Igala man from Eastern senatorial flank, the Egbira rose against any of their kinsmen who did not support their ambition for power shift. They burnt and killed in the process, yet their son lost. Fast forward to 2019, it is ironical that the Igala seemed to have toed same line. IMPRESSIVE TURNOUT In spite of the scorching sun, Kogites went out last Saturday to elect a new governor, who would pilot the affairs of the Confluence State for the next four years. They defied apprehensions that the gubernatorial polls might be trailed by violence to exercise their civil responsibility. The turnout of voters in the morning hours was impressive and by midday the queues had become longer. They completed their accreditation without any wrong incidents. The electorate also cast their ballots peacefully. But by end of voting periods, violence erupted in Lokoja, the state capital and largely in the Eastern senatorial axis. Amidst the tale of violence and ballot snatching, the Independent National Electoral Commission announced the incumbent, Yahaya Bello as winner of the election. ETHNIC ANGLE The electorate voted according to tribal dictates. The Igalas who are the most populous voted for their sons, but could not enjoy their numerical advantage like in time past. Though they won seven out of the nine LGAs votes, the margin of victory paled in comparison to what the Egbira gave their kinsman, Bello in APC. PDP candidate, Musa Wada scored 112,626 of the 202,403 votes cast in his district; giving him 63 percent, while Bello won with 236,005 out of the 244,698 votes cast in his zone, giving him 96.4 percent. Long before the election it was obvious that any attempt to canvass for a non - Ebira man in central senatorial axis was presumed to be death on arrival. The Igalas too openly supported their own with the hope of returning to power which they retained since creation of Kogi in 1999, but by nature lost in 2015 through the death of leading candidate in the election, Late In spite of the scorching sun, Kogites went out last Saturday to elect a new governor, who would pilot the affairs of the Confluence State for the next four years •David Perewonrimi Lyon Abubakar Audu. The voting pattern last Saturday further confirmed the ethnic cards played by the three major ethnic groups scattered across the three senatorial districts. CANCELLATION OF VOTES With reported cases of widespread violence, INEC presiding officer cancelled 149,576, votes; the highest number of votes cancelled in the history of the state. But largely, the election went peacefully in Kogi West and Central senatorial districts. PRE ELECTION VIOLENCE There was violence, top of which was the burning of SDP state Secretariat in Lokoja barely a week to the governorship election. Hoodlums suspected to be political thugs in the early hours of the Monday before election day invaded the state secretariat of the Social Democratic Party, SDP and razed it down. The SDP state secretariat located opposite the Lokoja Local Government Secretariat near Paparanda Square, IBB Way, was first on Sunday vandalized. At the Sunday attack, the windows and doors of the Secretariat were shattered while banners, posters and other campaign materials were also destroyed. Also, the PDP candidate boycotted completely any campaign in Central senatorial district, citing security report of possible attack if they got close to the district. ELECTION VIOLENCE At the end of the exercise, seven persons were reported to have died in the exercise. Three at the state capital, two from Abocho in Dekina council area, one person in Aiyetoro Gbede, who incidentally was a nephew to the PDP senatorial candidate, Dino Melaye and a Kogi Poly Student who was acting as INEC Ad-hoc staff. The state Resident electoral Commissioner, Prof. James Apam confirmed the death of the ad-hoc electoral officer in a Boat mishap in Ibaji local government Area of Kogi state while on election duty on Saturday. According to the electoral commissioner, the deceased adhoc staff was a student of Kogi state polytechnic in Lokoja engaged for the governorship election in the state. One only hopes, that the insurance policy INEC promised its ad-hoc staff are still in place. POST ELECTION While the Egbira people were busy around the state celebrating victory of their son who broke the second term jinx, the Igala engaged themselves in fist cuffs. In another the ugly incidents, a 60 years old woman was burnt alive. Mrs. Acheju Abuh who was the Women Leader of Wada/Aro Campaign Council, Ochadamu Ward, was on Monday evening burnt alive in her home by suspected political thugs. The thugs, shooting sporadically arrived Abuh’s house at about 2pm in the afternoon and surrounded the house, blocking every exit and escape routes from outside. They then sprayed the building with petrol and set it ablaze as terrified villagers watched from afar. She reportedly attempted to escape through a window but was prevented by the metal burglary proof. The blood thirsty thugs waited and watched while Mrs Abuh cried from inside the inferno until her voice died out. They reportedly left only when the entire house and Mrs Abuh had been burnt to ashes. PARTISAN CSO’s However, of greater worry were the Civil Society Groups who have been embedded in partisanship. Some of the observer groups acted as if they were working for one party or another. They also disagreed on the outcome of the election. While NGO’s like YIAGA spoke about violence and poor conduct of exercise, some other NGOs disagreed by saying the exercise went peacefully. YIAGA even called for cancellation of the exercise midway into conduct and collation of the election. Apparently, NGOs were influenced by the leading parties. SIDELINES While the state was still mourning, a petrol tanker compounded the state woes when it killed 8 persons, crushed many vehicles on the day the result was declared. Eight persons were confirmed dead on Monday in Felele, Lokoja metropolis of Kogi State following a morning road accident by a petrol Tanker which collided with other vehicles. Lyon, man of the moment By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa he man of the moment in Bayelsa State is TDavid Perewonrimi Lyon, who until his emergence last Sunday as the governor-elect was unknown in the political circles of the oil and gas rich Bayelsa State. Lyon of the All Progressive Congress (APC) was declared winner of last Saturday governorship election in the state by the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC), thus altering the political equation of the state. The INEC said Lyon polled a total of 352, 552 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, Douye Diri, who had 143, 172 votes. He swept six of the eight local governments in the state. The defeat has catapulted Lyon into national reckoning ostensibly because of the strategic place of the state in the nation’s oil and gas industry. Lyon is an indigene of Olugbobiri community, a rustic settlement in Olodiama clan of Southern Local Government Area of the state. His victory ended the 20 years reign of PDP in the predominantly riverine state. He had his early education in the creek of the Southern Ijaw council area at Saint Gabriel State School and Community Secondary School Olugbobiri between 1978 and 1988. The young Lyon later proceeded to Rivers State College of Education where he bagged the National Certificate of Education. He sits on board of several conglomerates, a feat attained through the dint of hard work. His shrewd business acumen has kept him afloat in the complex oil and gas industry, where he renders diverse services to oil and gas multinational companies. Lyon is a philanthropist, known for his open mindedness and generosity. His Igbogene residence has become a mecca for the aged, poor and needy every December as he doles out Christmas gifts and cash. The Governor-elect was said to have contested under the platform of the PDP as an aspirant to represent Southern Ijaw IV in 2011. He defected from PDP in 2015 to the APC. He is the CEO of Darlon Security and Guard, a private security firm in Bayelsa State which has employed thousands of Bayelsa indigenes. The company is also known for its role in assisting the nation’s security agencies in riding the vast swamp of the state of illegal refinery camps, thus boosting the state quota of crude oil production and its share of the 13 per cent derivation.
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