Bayelsa Governorship: Odds against Sylva’s return to Govt House

As the November 11 date for the 2023 governorship election in Bayelsa State draws closer, all 16 political parties jostling for the coveted seat have intensified preparations with incumbent Governor, Douye Diri seeking re-election on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

While many observers contend that the election may just be a two-horse race between Diri and immediate past Minister of State, Petroleum Resources and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), some analysts have cautioned that the other political parties and their candidates should not be discountenanced.

Specifically, supporters of the Labour Party candidate, Comrade Udengs Eradiri, a former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) believe he could spring a by riding the wave of his popularity and that of the party in the last general election to defeat the ruling PDP and the opposition APC.

INEC also listed Subiri Waibodei Joseph of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Osuluku Binalaiyefa of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Simon Imotimi Karioru of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Idikio Warmate Jones of the Accord Party and Kalango Stanley Davies of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), among others, as candidates for the election.

An ardent supporter of one of the leading parties, while assessing his party’s chances in the coming elections, said “The 2023 governorship election will be dramatic. Many things have happened between the last election in 2019 and now. People are going to choose who they know can improve the fortunes of the state and its people. The last presidential election has shown the people that their votes can count and many of them are ready to use that power.”

Nengi Bonyface, a chieftain of one of the parties, insisted that the people of Bayelsa are eager to make a choice that will reflect their desire for the state. “The next election will show the world what we want as a people. It is time to move towards that growth and development we crave as all these years,” he said.

However, a zoning debate lingers between agitators who want the governorship of the state to remain in Bayelsa Central and those who want Bayelsa East to produce the next governor of the state. Both camps are supporting their agitations with arguments in favour their desire. Analysts say the zoning debate will impact on the outcome of the election.

Those who want Bayelsa Central to still produce the next governor are of the opinion that the zone should be allowed to complete its two terms in office while those agitating for Bayelsa East are saying the zone is yet to have a governor that served for two terms. Both Goodluck Jonathan and Timipre Sylva who governed from the zone were in office for only one term each.

Governor Douye Diri

Meanwhile, Governor Diri, while assessing his chances, said he is confident of victory as neither his government nor his party is afraid of any opposition party in the state. He declared Bayelsa as a PDP state adding that the party in the state is more united now more than ever before and was ready to face any opposition in the election.

“Let me assure you that our party is far more united than what we had previously. The PDP won convincingly in the just concluded elections. So, it shows that we are on ground. We are ready any of the candidates of the other parties,” he said.

Diri believes he deserves a second term based on his performance in almost four years. According to the PDP candidate, his administration had made appreciable progress in virtually every sector of the state’s economy. These he listed to include infrastructure, education, health agriculture, sports, skills acquisition and human capacity development.

A PDP chieftain, while speaking on the chances of the party also said: “I can tell you that if election is conducted today, Governor Douye Diri will win in all the eight local government areas of Bayelsa State regardless of where the other candidates come from. The project Bayelsa is very key to him and he feels very strongly about it.”

“He restored peace and order to the State on assumption of office. Infrastructure wise, roads, education, sports, empowerment and different skills acquisition programmes, he has done so much in all these areas. Wherever you go, everybody is singing Governor Douye Diri for second term. It’s not surprising. It is because he has been able to achieve a lot.”

Coordinator of the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the state, Joseph Brigidi, while analysing the chances of the contestants, asserted that power of incumbency and the zoning argument are two factors that will work in favour of Diri on November 11. “Bayelsa is a very peculiar environment and the people know themselves and respect their co-existence. The governor remains a front runner in the race because he will benefit from the power of incumbency and the zoning argument. The people of the state will be choosing between two people who have governed them before. So, what they did while in office will also determine how the people will vote for them. To say the truth, many people believe Diri has done well,” he said.

On the other hand, former Governor Sylva is also very optimistic that he will win the November election and emerge as the next governor of the state. According to him, he is in the race because the present administration is not equal to the task in putting Bayelsa on the path of genuine prosperity. He believes the people of the state are eager to vote out the PDP administration and enthrone the APC in power.

“I am already known as a former governor. So, there is nothing new in this for me. But when you look around the state, you see all the problems of the state. There is a need for an experienced hand to take over Bayelsa and put this state on the path of development. That is where we are. I feel that the government of the day is not doing well. There is no clear path way that I can see to progress and develop.

“That is not where Bayelsa should be. We want to bring things together to build an economy that would attract people all over the world to come and invest here. Investments that would create jobs and opportunities for Bayelsans is what we need.  So, everything we are going to do is going to tend and lead to the direction of economic sustainable prosperity,” he said.

“I am already known as a former governor. So, there is nothing new in this for me. But when you look around the state, you see all the problems of the state. There is a need for an experienced hand to take over Bayelsa and put this state on the path of development. That is where we are. I feel that the government of the day is not doing well. There is no clear path way that I can see to progress and develop.

“That is not where Bayelsa should be. We want to bring things together to build an economy that would attract people all over the world to come and invest here. Investments that would create jobs and opportunities for Bayelsans is what we need.  So, everything we are going to do is going to tend and lead to the direction of economic sustainable prosperity,” he said.

And as far as Brigidi is also concerned, Sylva will give PDP and its candidate a run for their money come Novemebr 11. The former Minister is very popular in Bayelsa. The APC and the PDP have been campaigning all over the state and the people are listening. It is too early to say where the pendulum will swing. But it is definitely a race between the two frontliners – Diri and Sylva,’ he submitted.

How well Sylva has been able to manage the discontent that greeted his emergence as the party candidate is not very clear. Some party faithful argued that Sylva having been a former Governor and Minister should have allowed David Lyon to try to reclaim his mandate after he was denied the last time out by the Supreme Court in controversial circumstances. They also contended that Sylva was fast losing his popularity in the state and that only through a David Lyon ticket could the APC wrestle power from the grip of the PDP, which has been in power in the state since 1999, when democracy was restored to Nigeria.

EradiriEradiri

Labour Party’s Comrade Udengs Eradiri, a former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), who is the candidate of the Labour Party, brims with confidence about the possibility of emerging the next governor of the state. The activist-turned politician believes strongly that the people of the state will vote for complete change on Election Day.

Stressing that poverty was widespread in the state and businesses were leaving Yenagoa to other places due to alleged poor governance, Eradiri who served as Commissioner for Youth and later redeployed to the ministry of the Environment in the state before, stated that he would anchor his development agenda on ‘People, Education, Agriculture and Power’.

“My PEAP (People, Education, Agriculture and Power) agenda will be propagated around every structure of leadership. We are going to run a pyramid system of government in Bayelsa State where local governments and communities understand the PEAP agenda.And let me tell you, we are going to win this election. We are going to win this election because the poverty in Bayelsa is naked for everybody to see. I don’t have the money they have. In any case, I’m not even afraid of the money. It’s my money, our money that they are bringing. It’s your schools, it’s your economy.

It’s your agriculture they are going to be bringing. They are gathering it to come and buy people for four hours,’ he said.

Eradiri has promised to provide social amenities, including healthcare and education, boost human capacity development, and prioritise infrastructure and job opportunities.

According to him, the agricultural potential of the state in fishery, rice, sugarcane, and other crops where Bayelsa has comparative advantages would be harnessed to provide raw materials for industries and processed for export.

Eradiri also promised to leverage the recent inclusion of power generation into the concurrent legislative list to use the abundant gas deposits across the state for industries and power generation, if elected.