Bayelsa APC Governorship Primaries: Battle Of The Timis

OSA OKHOMINA reports that the contest to clinch the APC Bayelsa governorship ticket is realistically a tussle between Timipre Sylva and Timi Alaibe.

The ongoing struggle to secure the nod of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to be its flag bearer for the 2016 Governorship race in Bayelsa has pitched 19 aspirants.

An interesting and intense twist to the struggle is the battle of the Timis. Former governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva and the former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe are arguably in pole position to clinch the ticket

They are not new to political contests in the state and their followers are not strange to such battles.

While Timipre Sylva is known to have been the Governor of the State and was stopped by the Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential arsenal from serving out a second term in office, Timi Alaibe is yet to test the seat of Governance in the State but has engaged in political battles during the governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and Goodluck Jonathan as Governors in the state.

Also to have tasted the political capabilities of Timi Alaibe is Timipre Sylva himself. Alaibe was the flagbearer of the APC and had a good contest against Timipre Sylva as Candidate of the PDP in the State.

But now, they are both in the lead ahead of the governorship primaries initially scheduled for September 19 but now postponed till September 22.

The former NDDC Managing Director, Timi Alaibe and the former governor, Timipre Sylva are already miles ahead of other contenders in the hunt for delegates for the APC governorship primaries in the state.

LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that while Timi Alaibe may be having over 850 delegates secured in safe areas in and outside the state, Chief Timipre Sylva is reported to have secured the delegate votes of members of the State Executive Committee and some local Government areas of Nembe and Brass local Government areas.

Also known to have a share of the delegates ahead of the APC primaries is the former Bayelsa Central Senatorial candidate of the Party, Preye Aganaba. He is said to have refused to let go of his delegates in an attempt at horse trading with the duo of Timi Alaibe and Timipre Sylva.

Aganaba’s refusal to trade his delegates is reportedly based on the anger at the rising political prowess and support for Alaibe within the Party.

Investigations by LEADERSHIP Friday showed that the predicted voting patterns, which initially favoured Timipre Sylva, changed recently along the state, local councils and ward areas.

While the change in delegate’s predicted voting patterns is attributed to the thinking, the emergence of Timi Alaibe will ensure victory for the Party against the candidature of Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), others allege that the rise in numbers of delegate support for Alaibe is due to financial inducement.

Also attributed as working against Timipre Sylva is the alleged inducement of delegates by the PDP-led Dickson’s administration for votes against Timi Alaibe to allow Sylva’s emergence for easy victory.

Earlier in a statement issued by the State Publicity Secretary, Hon Panebi Fortune, he emphasised the party’s resolve to provide a level playing ground for all aspirants who were recently cleared to contest the forthcoming governorship primary elections notwithstanding their gender or status in the party to ensure credible primaries, adding that the state chapter of the party will borrow a leaf from what transpired in Lagos and Kogi recently.

According to his statement, the party’s integrity is held with high esteem and it will never frustrate any of their aspirants before and after the primaries like the PDP.

The party further stated that no aspirant has the intention of stepping down for anybody because they are all change agents who are bent on restoring hope to the youths of Bayelsa, developing the people and the state, stopping the corruption currently destroying the state and reposition all that has been lost in the state.

“…party faithfuls, members and other stakeholders should protect their interest and that of the party, and not be distracted by sponsored false stories from the opposition in the state. The state working committee and all stakeholders believe everyone will be together after primaries.” the statement read.

A pro-Sylva group, known as Timipre Sylva Support Group (TSSG), said the contest of the two Timis will be a forgone contest with Timipre Sylva emerging winner during the Party primaries in the State.

The National Coordinator of the Group, Comrade Melford Esinte, said though Timi Alaibe is known to play politics of “over pricing” and “money”, Timipre Sylva would be the man to beat at the primary of the Party.

“Timi Alaibe never founded, midwifed or nurtured a political party in the state. He has always taken undue advantage of other focused politicians’ labour and utilised such political platform to actualise his futile political ambition.” the statement read.

But loyalists of both governorship aspirants insisted that the Party must get it right to beat the sole candidate of the PDP, Governor Seriake Dickson.

The camp of the incumbent, Governor Seriake Dickson, is already excited over the intense struggle within the APC. PDP loyalists in the state are of the opinion that the battle of the Timis will cause an implosion within the APC to the advantage of the PDP.

Some political analysts are however expectant that the contest and the open display of internal democracy by the APC will lead to an upset in the December 5 Governorship election in the State, they affirmed that the possibility or otherwise of such a revolution is dependent on who emerges the APC governorship candidate.

A political commentator, Barrister Ebisinemi Turunarigha, said: “The truth is, Timipre Sylva and Seriake Dickson should forget the governorship race because they have not impressed us at all. The only man I trust and believe can deliver this state from poverty, Is Ndutimi Alaibe. He is the only man that has contested for this position, three times and has not been given the opportunity to serve.”

“I think we should give him a chance this time to serve us. If you could recall, while Alaibe was in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), many Bayelsans benefitted from him, in spite of the fact that the commission was not established for Bayelsa alone. Even though he was not in the position at that time to award contracts, he created lots of impact and touched the lives of many Bayelsans.”

“So I think if we give him the opportunity this time to serve as governor, he would do far better than he did while working with the NDDC. We have tested Dickson and Sylva and in terms of structural development, they have not done well. In fact for the five years Sylva served, he didn’t give us what we expected of him.”

“That was why Bayelsans decided to bring in Dickson to change Sylva. And when Dickson came, that change we yearned for when we brought in Dickson, has not yet materialised. The basic truth is that their policies have not touched the lives of the ordinary man on the street and that is disheartening.”

“In Bayelsa, we are not tired of changing people. We will keep changing governors until we get it right, we will keep changing people until we get a governor like Fashola, Akpabio and Sullivan Chime. So Alaibe should be given the chance to govern this state.”

But Mr Christopher Ebhodaghe, a tricycle rider puts it more in perspective. “I would prefer Seriake Dickson to return if the battle at the end of the day is between Timipre Sylva and Dickson… during Sylva’s first tenure we observed lots of lapses in the area of security of lives and properties, and he abandoned so many projects.”

“Coming to Dickson, though people are complaining about him, it is “better to leave Dickson that started the projects that we are currently enjoying than to bring Sylva that would come back and abandon Dickson’s projects because Dickson abandoned his own. I certainly would prefer Dickson if the race is between him and Sylva.”