Bayelsa: Dickson Locks Horn With Jonathan

24 hours to the Bayelsa state Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship primaries there’s uneasy calm in the camps of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The ruling party in the state will on September 3, selects its flagbearer for the governorship election slated for December this year.

The governorship election is slated for November 16 later this year.

Over 10 major candidates from the party are squaring up with themselves, to know who will get the delegates nod to contest with candidates of other political parties.

But those who understand the politics of the oil rich state have already narrowed down their choices to four candidates.

They are former NDDC Managing director, Timi Alaibe, Senator Douye Diri, representing Bayelsa Central, Nimbofa Ayawei, chairman of the state revenue agency and Kemela Okara, the current Secretary to the state government, SSG.

While three candidates belongs to the Restoration group, a political machinery chaired by Governor Seriake Dickson, Alaibe seemed to be the odd one out because he does not have the state’s helmsman support for his ambition.

But despite the cold silence between the governor and the ex-NDDC boss, former President Goodluck Jonathan has told his supporters to back Alaibe, the magazine has learned.

Governor Dickson doesn’t seem to agree with Jonathan on this.

The state’s helmsman has recently stated that he will prefer his successor to emerge from the Restoration Caucus.

“The shoes I am leaving behind are very big” for anyone outside the caucus to wear, the governor said, that he will make sure that whoever succeeds him has the interest of the state at heart because “prosperity will judge” me.

He said “only very few of the people who come to talk to me have the interest of the state at heart. There is no free money to give anybody in Bayelsa warning delegates not to “kill for anybody, none has the power to make you billionaire,” Dickson said.

Meanwhile, the major dilemma now facing the governor, the magazine has learnt is how to block Alaibe who among other support in the state, is riding on the political crest of ex-President Jonathan.

Alaibe has recently fortified his team with staunch members of the party from the state, including a former two-time deputy governor and ex- speaker of the state house of assembly, who now serves as director general of his campaign.

The magazine also learnt that some members of the Restoration caucus who broke ranks with the governor’s camp have also joined the Alaibe aspiration.

In spite of all of this, sources in the state told the magazine on Saturday that the governor’s camp has been trudging on with the belief that they will emerge victorious.

Though, Governor Dickson has disclosed that he’s not backing a particular candidate but the magazine learnt that an arrangement is being worked out to support a consensus candidate before the election on Tuesday.

“We have to go into the election as one body if we are not to lose to our opponents,” a member of the Restoration Caucus told The Source.

The governor’s caucus has shown capacity to push any candidate they support through the primaries, analysts say.

According to this line of thought, the fact that candidates supported by the governor cleared all the chairmanship positions in all the eight local governments in the state is a good testimony that the governor and his team are well prepared.

Governor Dickson is also believe to have enlisted the support of the national caucus of PDP including senators, house of assembly members and majority of house of reps members from the state.

“It’s a straight fight between Alaibe and whoever emerges as the consensus candidate of the Restoration Caucus, the PDP candidate will emerge by Tuesday evening,” said Akinloye Richard, a political analyst.