Dickson lauds Bayelsa residents for support as APC guber candidate urges development

Governor Seriake Dickson has commended the people of Bayelsa for their support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate for the November 16,2019 gubernatorial election in the state, Senator Douye Diri.He said his administration was encouraged by the “goodwill and the people’s show of appreciation for our developmental exploits by massively attending all the rallies of the PDP.”

The governor, in a statement at the weekend by his Chief Press Secretary, Fidelis Soriwei, said he would personally lead the campaigns from this week.He stated that it was a “deliberate decision of the leadership of the PDP to create the campaign opportunities for the candidate and his running mate to have close and effective interactions with the electorate, and to feel their pulse.”

The governor greeted former aspirants and party leaders “who are working assiduously towards the victory of the party and the candidate,” stating that the “few defections cannot affect the political fortunes of the PDP as the APC lacks the message, structure and the presence to win election in Bayelsa.
”Dickson stressed that the opposition party “has more problems with defections and crisis as shown by the fact that no serious leader of the APC is supporting, and indeed, attending the gubernatorial campaign rallies of the party and its candidate.”He claimed that the party was further “factionalised” by the multiple post-primary litigations by aggrieved parties.

However, the APC governorship standard-bearer, Chief David Lyon, has called for a stronger collaboration between government, security agencies and local communities for the “protection and judicious use of oil wealth for the development of the people.”He argued that the tripod partnership would foster speedy development of the oil-rich state.

Addressing supporters at his Egbemo-Angalabiri community in Ekeremor council area over the weekend, Lyon alleged that Bayelsans still live in penury because the current administration “failed to protect and invest the common wealth of the people on profit-generating projects, thereby causing the people to live from hand to mouth.”He claimed that the level of development in the communities does not reflect the true nature of the contributions they put into the wealth and growth of Nigeria as oil producing areas.

The guber hopeful pledged that when elected into office, he would work towards containment of pipeline vandals and oil theft, a situation Lyon added, had exposed Bayelsa to severe environmental degradation.Speaking further when his campaign team visited Peretorugbene and Toru-Ndoro communities, the APC flag-bearer promised to ensure that all settlements were captured in the global memoranda of understanding (GMoUs) of the oil majors operating in the area.