• ’I don’t need former First Lady to win’’
• Police restrict movement

From the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, came yesterday a promise to accept defeat in the election if beaten fairly and the process is transparent.

Sylva, who debunked rumour that his candidacy is supported by the former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, said: ‘’All these stories of the former First Lady supporting me are false. Even if she were to offer me her support, I will reject it outright because I don’t need her support to win an election in Bayelsa
State.’’

At a press conference yesterday in Yenagoa, Sylva gave an insight into how his party would win in Saturday’s election: ‘’The January supplementary election is being held in our strongholds and we shall win all of them. I can assure all of you the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in Bayelsa State is on its way out.

‘’Between me and Governor Dickson, we have less than 200,000, while the outstanding votes in the supplementary election is about 150,000. So, whoever wins on Saturday would win the election.”

On whether, he would be magnanimous enough to accept defeat if he loses to his opponent, Sylva said he would, if the process was fair enough. ‘’I will willingly accept defeat, if everything goes on fairly’’.

Sylva who declared the press conference was in direct response to the one addressed on Monday by Governor Dickson in which he allegedly leveled a lot of accusations against him, said the governor was only being afraid of his shadows,
considering the way he was thrown out of the government during his tenure.

‘’When I was removed as the governor of the state, Armoured Personnel Carriers were deployed all over the state. There has been no APC or soldiers deployed in any part of the state now. The federal might that Dickson talked about is only in his head.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police has ordered restriction of movement in Bayelsa on Saturday as the re-run elections holds.

A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Olabisi Kolawole, said but for persons carrying out essential duties, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase has “placed an order banning movements in and out of the local government areas where elections will hold with effect from 6am to 6pm on Saturday 9th January, 2016”.