Barely one week to the rescheduled governorship election in seven of the eight local government councils in Bayelsa state, the wife of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan, may have dumped Governor Seriake Dickson for the former governor of the state and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva.
As part of this move, Sylva and Mrs. Jonathan were said to have had a secret meeting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital on New Year’s Day along with ex-militant leader, Chief Ateke Tom.
Confirming that Sylva was indeed in Port Harcourt, the Director of Publicity in his campaign organisation, Chief Nathan Egba denied Sylva ever held any meeting with Tom, who he insisted is not relevant to the election in Bayelsa state.
But a source in the camp of Dickson however confirmed the rapprochement between Dame Jonathan and Sylva, saying that despite her attending Dickson’s rally at the beginning of campaigns, Mrs. Jonathan had never been with the governor.
Aside the former first lady, key political associates of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan have renewed their resolve to gang up against Dickson on January 9. We recalled that while some of Jonathan’s men had defected to the APC to fight Dickson, many of them remained in the PDP to work for the election of the APC candidate, Timipre Sylva.
Prominent among those who defected are Senator Clever Ikisikpo (Bayelsa East), immediate past senator representing the former president; Chief Ikiogha Dikivie, former Chief of Staff Government House and confidant of Jonathan; Surveyor Furoebi Akene, former Commissioner under Dickson; current FERMA Executive Director, Finance, Bishop Deggi Eremienyo.
The chairman of the controversial Southern Ijaw council boss was said to have been given the beating of his life by Governor Seriake Dickson who allegedly accused him of disloyalty and in ability to win the LGA.
But some of the ex-militant leaders invited including the Former Member of the Upper Chamber of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Comrade Eris Paul aka General Ogunboss and Mr. Africanus Ukparisia known as General Africa have expressed lack of confidence in the State Police Command structure.
While some of them accused the State Police Command of bias and partisan loyalty to the PDP, others claimed the present structure of the state police will not ensure a free and fair election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Council.
General Ogunboss expressed concern over the signatory to the Police invitation to the meeting fixed for the 4th of January, “when did we become members of the State Security agencies to be invited to security meeting? Nothing annoys me so much as receiving the invitation from a relative of Governor Seriake, Ondo Gbekumo”.
The Spokesman of the State Police Command, DSP Astimin Butswat, confirmed the summon for the meeting, and said it is a formal invitation for all stakeholders to contribute ways the election would be conducted without violence.
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