Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson has said he is seeking re-election to consolidate on the gains of his restoration government in the areas of peace, security, development and prosperity of Bayelsans, adding that with him in the saddle in the last three and half years, “Bayelsa is now in safe hands.”
He stressed that he would campaign on the strength of his track record, and pointed out that his achievements in office have entrenched his bond with the ordinary people as well as the critical stakeholders of the state.
Aside the support of the masses, Governor Dickson said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state is a war horse with a formidable structure, cutting across all the nooks and crannies of the state which makes it the party to beat in the December 5 governorship polls.
“You can only win election if you are in charge of the grass roots. The PDP produced all members of the National Assembly, 22 out of the 24 members of the state House of Assembly, 105 out of 105 councilors, the entire eight Council chairmen and several government appointees who cut across all units, wards and local governments of the state. Will these people fold their hands and watch the opposition write results? Certainly no,’’ Dickson retorted.
The governor said his re-election bid is supported by the grand masters of Bayelsa politics who make things happen. He boasted that no aspirant has his groundswell of support, adding that, “the few elders paraded by his opponents are elders whose opinions are not respected by our people.”
The Governor was speaking on Friday at the national secretariat of the PDP in Abuja after submitting his governorship nomination/ expression of intent form to the National Organizing Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha.
Dickson was accompanied to Wadata House by the Director General of the Restoration Campaign Organisation, Hon Fred Agbedi and many of the grand masters of Bayelsa politics. Chief amongst them were the first executive governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamiesiegha, all current members of both Bayelsa State House of Assembly and National Assembly, former Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Peremobowei Ebebi, former speaker of the State House of Assembly, Boyelayefa Debekeme, seasoned former Permanent Secretary, HRH Jonny Turner, veteran politician and former Vice chairman of defunct National Party of Nigeria, Chief T.A Okorotie and former chairmen of Bayelsa State chapter of PDP, Chief Charles Dorgu and Deacon James Dugo.
Others are PDP chieftain, Chief George Fente, political strategist, Chief Bekis Etifa, former senator representing Bayelsa East, Chief Barigha Amange, youth group led by the REYNET DG, Mr. Alfred Kemepado, select former commissioners and House members, women groups, some friends of Bayelsa and a host of others.
Dickson who was Chairman of the Justice Committee in the House of Representatives averred that the PDP is the party to beat on December 5, and called on Nigerians to discard the ‘‘ranting’’ of those who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a wave of the hand.
He described the APC in Bayelsa as a congress of propagandists and perennial governorship aspirants who have never won election, and do not have the structure and goodwill to win on December 5.
His words:
“Without sounding immodest, there are no candidates in APC to pose any threat to my re-election. The APC in Bayelsa has no members; all of them are governorship aspirants who want power to put the state in reverse gear. The PDP members who have defected to APC are traitors and crass opportunists who had benefitted so much from PDP and jumped to APC after its victory to take advantage of PDP’s sudden loss of power at the centre.
If APC loses tomorrow, they will return to PDP! They have all had opportunities in the past to develop Bayelsa and the Niger Delta, and they all failed. They are not on ground. Electoral victory is not conjured, it is delivered by the people and the party structure which we have, the APC doesn’t have and that is why they plan to take over Bayelsa by force, by getting INEC and police to write result.
“But I am confident that federal might will fail them because it has never worked in Bayelsa. The APC does not stand a chance in Bayelsa because the people trust me and they believe in my capacity to deliver as I have done in the last three and half years. The restoration government that I head has verifiable achievements on ground to speak for my re-election.’’The governor who will formally announce his re-election bid in Yenagoa on Tuesday expressed optimism that, with the assurances of his party’s National Working Committee, the PDP governorship primary will be free and fair, just as he expressed his readiness to subject himself to the process in line with the laws of the land.
