Nseobong Okon-Ekong
An Ijaw interest group, Association of True Iijaw Values, has warned that the 2019 selection of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate looks likely to affect the unity of the PDP, except something is urgently done to correct the lopsided decisions that are currently being taken by Governor Seriake Dickson of the state.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos at the weekend, president of the group, Chief Francis Akpofemowei, accused Dickson of not only desiring the governorship slot, but also the deputy governorship slot by supporting the Douye Diri/Lawrence Ewrudjiakpo ticket.
“Dickson wants to achieve his ambition of becoming the senator representing Bayelsa West in the Senate immediately after he leaves as the governor. This winner-takes-all plan leaves out the other groups in the PDP in Bayelsa State.
“This is certain to create major frictions among PDP loyalists which may lead to the loss of either the governorship contest or the loss of another senatorial seat to the APC as the APC appears to have put its house in order by making Timpre Sylva a minister, while leaving the space free of any bickering in its quest to take the governorship of Bayelsa State,” said Akpofemowei.
Explaining his understanding of Dickson’s alleged game plan, leader of the group posited that Dickson might have carefully eliminated all opposition, having become the leader of the PDP in Bayelsa State, side-stepped Goodluck Jonathan and any interest allied to the former president with the sole aim to become the leader of the Ijaw nation and senator from Bayelsa West upon the completion of his tenure.
“To achieve his ambition, he put his friend and most prominent stooge, Lawrence Ewrudjiakpo, whom he had previously made his commissioner for works as the candidate for the Senate position in Bayelsa West so he could get Lawrence Ewrudjiakpo to step-down from his position and take the deputy governor position in the 2019 governorship race so Dickson can achieve his ambition of going to the Senate immediately his tenure ends as governor.
“Dickson’s permutation is to make the duo of Duoye Diri and Lawrence Ewrudjiakpo, who are both senators currently representing Bayelsa State in the Senate. Both men are his former commissioners with whom he plans to continue to dominate the affairs of the state.
“To buttress this thinking, Lawrence Ewrudjiakpo has already joined the Duoye Diri campaign team, while the likes of Kemela Okara and Talford Ongolo will remain puns in Dickson’s chess-board for the purpose of horse-trading and negotiations. These are Dickson’s last-minute candidates should his preferred plan fail.”
Already, there are indications that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s camp is demanding for the deputy governorship slot should a member of Dickson’s Restoration Group emerge in the Tuesday, September 3, 2019 governorship primary of the PDP.
This move, pundits claimed, was to halt a big crisis that could truncate PDP’s intention of retaining the governorship of Bayelsa State as disgruntled aspirants in the Jonathan camp and others in the Restoration Group might team up to support APC in the election slated for November 2019.
Jonathan was said to have agreed to allow the emergence of a governor from Dickson’s group and has stated his preference for Kemela Okara, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government as part of the compromise to ensure one house.
In picking Okara, the former president was reported to have sacrificed his own loyalists such as Boladei Igali, Reuben Okoya, Timi Alaibe, and Kienebi Okoko for the unity of the PDP going into election in November.
But, as at the last count, 21 PDP governorship aspirants had procured the party forms for the race and of these 21 aspirants, over half was believed to belong to Dickson’s group, including Okara, Diri, Talford Ongolo and Fred Agbedi.
Aside from these frontrunners, other contestants from the Restoration Group are the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Board of Internal Revenue, Dr. Ayawei Ayawei; the Deputy Governor, Retired Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah and the Former Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kombowei Benson.
However, in the other camp made up of the independent aspirants and those loyal to Jonathan are Ambassador Boladei Igali, Reuben Okoya, Timi Alaibe and Kienebi Okoko.
But despite assurances by the key players in the PDP, the battle to produce the next standard bearer of the party is one among three blocs within the party, which are Jonathan, Dickson and the independent aspirants not tied to any political group.
