By Ebitimi Igolokumo
In reality, incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has no opposition in his quest for re-election on November 11, 2023.
The supposed main challenger, former Governor and immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, might just be chasing shadows once the election is devoid of violence and manipulation.
Today, Sylva and his party, All Progressive Congress (APC) are unpopular in Bayelsa State and the opposition knows this. The last general election where the PDP secured over 85 percent success in all elections is a pointer to the fact that Bayelsa State has rejected the APC because of the sterling performance of the governor since 2020.
Regrettably, the APC lacks substance. Beyond the fact that Sylva’s past has allegedly continued to hunt him, the zoning arrangement is not in his favour politically. By zoning, the governorship is still at the Central Senatorial district.
Sylva’s ambition is jinxed as he clannishly outsmarted top members of his party from the Bayelsa Central Senatorial district who were eyeing the seat.
It’s clearly an inordinate ambition. The aspiration of Timipre Sylva is unrealistic.
He had been tested with power in the past and failed woefully. The scars left behind are still with the people.
While in office as governor, he ran a government of triviality and ‘play play’ as it is called in local parlance.
After his political revival with appointment as Minister of Petroleum Resources where he again brought nothing meaningful to the state, he is allegedly running for governorship with bitterness and revenge.
Sometime ago, Sylva was quoted to have said, “Bayelsa owes him a second term in office.”
The people of the State will certainly not allow him to disrupt the developmental trajectory under the current administration of Governor Douye Diri. The people will equally stop him from disrupting the existing and working zoning arrangement. After all, it is only a good term that should ordinarily deserve another tenure. For Timipre Sylva, his first experience was not good enough for the people, hence, his ambition for a return is clearly a NO case!
Only recently, Sylva admitted to have failed in his first coming as governor when he declared that he was merely a young man at the time with so much exuberance and that he is a changed person after learning so much over time.
His poor account of stewardship follows him everywhere and majority of the people have rejected his ambition.
The people of Bayelsa State have vowed not to experiment in the forthcoming November 11 Governorship Election. They are standing firmly with the incumbent Governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Douye Diri and his running mate and the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
The support base of Governor Diri transcends the PDP, hence the massive defection over time from opposition, APC, into the ruling party in the State. Bayelsans are happy with the governor who has displayed high sense of maturity in governance, building love, unity and peace, extending hands of fellowship to those in opposition, restoration of order and security, skills acquisition, human capacity and massive infrastructural development.
A civil servant, Ebinimi Gold said recently, “Sylva’s ambition is very unrealistic at this time. If we look back at his inglorious reign and his service at the federal that failed to attract any meaningful things to Bayelsa State. His ambition cannot fly. We are standing behind incumbent Governor Diri.”
In the past three years of the Douye Diri-led administration, the government has touched several sectors and brought human and physical development to the people.
The massive construction work going on across the state has provided jobs opportunities and improved the local economy of the areas. Communities that hitherto were only accessible by water now have roads connecting them to the State capital. The new roads have reduced travel time and cost of transportation.
The continuation and progress achieved so far with the three senatorial roads stands the governor out as a man who wants to unlock the potentials in the riverine communities. The Sagbama-Ekeremor and Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie roads are star projects. The Prosperity Government has reached Angiama and Ekeremor main town on both flangs of the Central and Wester Senatorial District.
The strategic Nembe-Brass road in the Eastern Senatorial road is receiving attention and progressing. While a number of road projects have been completed in the past three years, many more are ongoing within Yenagoa and other Local Government Areas.
The good deeds of the present administration can also be felt in the education, health, sports, agriculture, youth and women empowerment as well as skills acquisition.
Bayelsa has over the years become the mecca for sports with greater accomplishments by state athletes at both local and international meets.
The duo of Diri and Ewhrudjakpo have brought political stability and good governance to the State since 2020 and every other person eyeing the plum seat in 2023 would have to wait till after their second tenure.
While it is true that every political ambition is legitimate, the people of the State have clearly sent strong signals to every corner on their choice and that the reason they are backing the Diri/Law ticket is for continuity and consolidation. This is the practical reality in Bayelsa State today.
Igolokumo, writes from Yenagoa.