Bayelsa 2023: Intrigues, uncertainties in the three-horse race

As the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State inches closer, Godwin Ijediogor and Julius Osahon highlight the intense politicking that has engulfed the state as politicians battle to outdo each other in the quest to succeed Governor Douye Diri.

Less than one month to the November 11 Bayelsa State governorship election, intense politicking, lobbying, decamping, betrayals, intrigues and power play have been the hallmark in the last few weeks.

This chain of events came to a head with a recent court judgment against the candidature of Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The former minister had earlier escaped disqualification when Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a suit brought by one of the party’s governorship aspirants, Mrs. Ogbomade Johnson.

The plaintiff had urged the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to delist APC and Sylva from the list of political parties and candidates for the election, while also praying for an order of perpetual injunction restraining Sylva from parading himself as the APC’s governorship candidate in Bayelsa, among other reliefs.

The former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources won the APC governorship primary held in the state on April 14 with 52, 061 votes to defeat five other aspirants in the election.

And Justice Ekwo held that Mrs Johnson failed to prove her case that the APC did not conduct a valid governorship primary election in Bayelsa on April 14, where Sylva defeated David Lyon, Joshua Maciver, Festus Daumiebi, Mrs Maureen Ongoebi and Johnson, and rejected the Police report relied on by the plaintiff, saying it was not the duty of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to monitor the conduct of political parties’ primary elections.

Now, a more distracting ruling appears to threaten Sylva’s ambition, unless there is a relief from a superior court, as another Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Donatus Okorowo, on Monday, October 9, ruled that Sylva, having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor, would be in breach of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) if allowed to contest again; hence disqualified him from contesting the November 11 governorship election, saying a win and swearing in would make him to spend more than the eight years or two terms as stipulated.

Citing the Marwa vs Nyako case at the Supreme Court, in the suit filed by Chief Demesuoyefa Kolomo, Justice Okorowo held that drafters of the Constitution had stated that nobody should be voted as governor for more than two times and that the parties to the suit agreed that Sylva had been voted into office twice in the past.

He further stated that the Supreme Court had ruled in the Marwa vs Nyako case that nobody can expand the constitution or its scope; hence if Sylva is allowed to contest the election, it would mean that a person can contest as many times as he or she wishes.

However, the Bayelsa Governorship Campaign Council, in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Perry Tukuwei, assured its supporters of victory and Sylva’s subsequent swearing in on February 14, next year, saying the party had briefed its lawyers to appeal the judgment and was confident that the Court of Appeal would overturn the verdict of the lower court.

While alleging that the court action was the “clandestine strategy by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” the council said it was unfazed by the judgment, adding: “Sections 29 and 84 of the 2022 Electoral Act states that only persons who contested primaries of a political party has the locus standi to file a pre-election matter to challenge the qualification of the party’s candidate in any election; hence the suit filed by one Chief Demesuoyefa Kolomo, who is not a member of the APC and didn’t contest our party’s governorship primaries, does not have the locus standi to sue in the matter.”

This stand was re-echoed by the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who described the judgment as unfortunate, adding: “We learned that the person who took the issue to the court is not even qualified to do so, because he did not contest with Sylva. However, we are appealing. We’re waiting for the judgment and then we appeal for calm on that issue.”

Amid all these, Sylva appears unperturbed, as he has continued with his campaigns. If he wins the election and the higher courts rule in his favour thereafter, he would proceed with governance. But if he wins the election, but loses his appeal, the APC might be compelled to field the runner-up in the primary – Lyon – his former protege, who might become his nemesis.

If he loses the election before the final judgment, the court process becomes an academic exercise and merely for the records. If he loses the case before the election, APC goes into the poll without a candidate.
Lingering fear of violence

While the two main candidates continue to fight for the soul of the state, especially Nembe, Labour Party governorship candidate, Udengs Eradiri, who said he was ready to correct the political imbalance in the state, accused them of planning to use vote-buying and violence to win, with the connivance of a staff of the electoral body.

Eradiri, a former president of the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) and Commissioner for Youth in the state, alleged that while one of the parties boasted of amassing over N30 billion to compromise INEC officials and buy votes, the other was trying to use violence at all means to win the poll.

But Governor Douye Diri assured: “I will not spill one life to retain my office, because every life is important to me. Anyone who wants to be governor should not sacrifice any of you to become governor.”
Three-horse race

Indeed, the three major parties are working to ensure victory for their candidate.
While the PDP flagged off its campaign on September 26, the APC kicked off its campaigns on October 14.

Already, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) has appointed a 495-man campaign council, led by Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya.

Instructively, the name of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, was removed. But news around town say he is strongly backing Sylva instead of his party’s candidate, a fallout of the PDP presidential primary, where Diri supported Atiku Abubakar against his South-South brother.

On its part, LP, led by its presidential candidate in the February 25 election, Mr Peter Obi, in company of National Chairman, Mr Julius Abure, flagged off the campaign of Eradiri in Yenagoa. At the occasion, Eradiri said both the PDP and APC have failed the people.

Eradiri promised not to play politics with the development of Bayelsa, but to ensure the people have a better life if he is elected governor.

Even though it is a three-horse race, in reality, it might come down to a PDP and APC contest, following the disenchantment of most LP supporters since the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

As the campaigns intensify, it is certain that the parties with the war chest will deploy such to entice and lure voters, as well as opposition supporters.
Gale of defections

Ahead of the election, there have been defections across the two major parties since August, this year. Not less than 18 PDP leaders in Otuan Ward 5, Southern Ijaw Local Council earlier defected to the APC, along with their over 1,000 supporters when Maciver visited the area, including the PDP Organising Secretary in the Ward, Miebi Adeyn; PDP Women Coordinator, Alami Philip; Philip Amabebe; Clapperton Ogbolowari; Omoni Sunday; Victor Bob; Morris Gbere; Bomo Alaseigha; Felix Souton and Tolu Ozato.

They were received by the state Chairman, Chief Dennis Otiotio-Odioni, who promised to carry them along in the scheme of things in the party.
A large number of people, including some of the governor’saides, and LP members were also received by the party’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Ali Delore.

They include two former commissioners, Chief SaviourIbegu (from Ogbia) and Chief Diodei Week (Southern Ijaw; three former local government chairmen- Victor Isiah (Brass), Nathaniel Sylva (Brass), a former senior special assistant to Diri, and Ebinyu Turner (Ogbia).

Isaiah, while explaining the reasons for leaving PDP for APC, said Sylva has the requisite experience and support of people at the grassroots to become the next governor.

Other defectors and their followers were Gideon Ogufe, a retired Assistant Police Commissioner (ACP); former youth president from Okumbiri, Akposeye Odoni; Oweifabo Felix Ebikeme; Dime Jonah and Goodluck Dime.

Conversely, one of Sylva’s political allies and a former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Israel Sunny Goli, defected to the PDP, even as some former legislators from 1999 pledged support for Diri.

Some close associates of the APC candidate recently jumped ship, including a former acting governor of the state, Chief Werinipre Seibarugu, along with his supporters.
Seibarugu, who was Speaker of the House of Assembly under Sylva’s first tenure, was among the former state lawmakers that visited Diri to declare their support for his re-election bid.

Coordinator of the Seibarugu Dynasty, Mr Ebiye Waripamo, said: “We left Jerusalem and went to Egypt, but now we are back in Jerusalem, and this is where we will stay. We are not going back again.”

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