For close observers of Bayelsa State politics, the events of Tuesday, September 22 during the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not be forgotten in a hurry.

The circumstances surrounding the primaries triggered a chain of events culminating in the rescheduling of the poll as announced by the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun and the public spat between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and former governor Timipre Sylva. The whole drama mirrors the intrigues, under currents and bitter in-fighting that have enveloped the Bayelsa chapter of the party since the time table for the December 5th governorship election was released by the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC).

Before the victory of the APC at the March 28 Presidential election, former governor Timipre Sylva and his loyalists led by the state chairman, Chief Tiwei Timipa Orunimighe on one hand and Preye Aganaba, a close associate of former governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State on the other hand had toiled day and night for the party to take roots in the state. They virtually appointed executives for the party right from the ward level to the state executive committee.
However, the complexion of the politics within the party changed when some bigwigs from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) moved into the APC with their eyes on the governorship ticket of the party shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn-in. By August 15 when former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Ndutimi Alaibe also defected to the party, the political temperature within the APC became charged particularly as some elders led by former senator John Brambiafa did not pretend that they were urging Alaibe to contest the governorship primaries.

When the party released the guidelines for the governorship primaries, it was not surprising that all the defectors from PDP including Alaibe, Amb Emmanuel Otiotio, Prof Tarilah Tebepah, Chief Diekivie Ikiogha and former House of Representatives member, Warman Ogoriba. Others, former senator Clever Ikisikpo, Dr Augustine Oginwo Febo, Dr Imoro Kubor, Mrs Charity Vedalago, Pastor Tonye Aprela, Prince Ebitimi Amgbare, Mr George Ombeh, Christopher Enai and Francis Ebitei joined Aganaba and Amb Felix Oboro and picked governorship forms, a development which elicited mockery from Governor Henry Seriake Dickson as he referred to the “Bayelsa APC as a party of governor aspirants”.

Political pundits are of the view that the political dimension the race for the governorship ticket assumed within the party could still have been managed with the array of governorship aspirants if Sylva had not thrown his hat into the ring. Alaibe had confided in close associates that if he had known that Sylva was going to contest, he would not have bothered to contest. Many others were also said to have been taken aback and disappointed when it became public knowledge that Sylva indeed was in the governorship race because he had told many of them that he was not contesting.
Checks by Daily Sun from Sylva’s close associates indicated that he actually did not want to contest the governorship primaries until he was urged on by the Presidency and some influential chieftains of the APC who knew what he suffered under the Jonathan Presidency and believed that Sylva can be trusted to lead the party in a strategic state as Bayelsa. And given his prominence in the party before and after the party swept into office at the centre, his status as a former governor and backing from very loyal supporters, Sylva’s entrance into the governorship race complicated an already difficult situation as majority of the party faithful including members of the SEC, felt obliged to queue behind him to demonstrate their loyalty and for them all to reap the fruits of their labour for the party.
Build –up to the exercise

Daily Sun investigations revealed that Alaibe working with some national leaders of the party with a huge war chest was able to have access to the delegates’ list and having convinced some party local government chairmen he was able to move some delegates to an undisclosed location. The Sylva camp got wind of the development and also contacted delegates loyal to its camp and also moved them out of Bayelsa. Aganaba also had his own delegates and they were also camped outside the state.

The issue of camping of delegates which prevented other aspirants from having access to them was condemned by three aspirants, Kubor, Ogionwo and Tebepah. They wondered why some aspirants “would deny other aspirants the opportunity to sell their programme for the delegates”. Some of the aspirants also accused the state chairman, Orunimighe of threatening delegates that are not disposed to voting for Sylva. Orunimighe denied the allegation, noting that the party was going to provide a level playing ground for all aspirants.

The national secretariat of the party had to wade into the issue though its investigations exonerated Orunmighe. It had to reverse the suspension slammed on some local government executives, an action it considered as arbitrary and seen as a plot to prevent them from voting.

Before the national secretariat shifted the date of the primary election from September 19 to 22, Sylva and Alaibe had emerged the frontline aspirants for the party ticket and both had prepared the minds of their supporters for the epic battle for the ticket.
Sylva in a message to the delegates expressed confidence that he was going to emerge the winner of the primaries to lead the party in the governorship election.

“I appeal to all our supporters, delegates, and the entire APC family in Bayelsa State to stay focused, positive, and determined as we wait for the new date, September 22, fixed by the national headquarters of our great party for the primary election in the state.
“My participation in the governorship race is borne out of a firm decision to help steer our state away from the current course of political confusion and economic hopelessness, and return it to the path of freedom, progress, and hope, the foundation upon which our founding fathers had agitated and won the struggle for a distinct political territory within Nigeria. That resolve, having been backed by the popular opinion of our people, I assure you that we are on course”
Alaibe said to the delegates: “As you head to the primaries, ask yourself – Is a new and better Bayelsa possible? Are the challenges surmountable? Are there things we can do differently?

“Your answers to these questions will point to the reality that Bayelsans yearn for an effective change, different from the regime of insecurity that sees huge numbers of our people kidnapped and maimed everyday by faceless bandits who have also seized our water ways, with our government seemingly unable to do anything about it”

High wire intrigues
Investigations revealed that the announcement of Edo Governor, Adams Oshiomhole as the Chairman of the electoral panel for the primary election had unsettled the Sylva camp based on reports emanating from the Presidency on the allegations that Oshiomhole had been lobbying the presidency and the leadership of the party to prevail on Sylva not to contest the elections and allow Alaibe to contest because of the groundswell of support for the latter and the public perception of the former stemming from his first outing as governor.
Sources within the party said while former vice President Atiku Abubakar, Oyegun and Oshiomhole are on the side of Alaibe, President Buhari and Bola Tinubu are believed to be favourably disposed to Sylva because of his loyalty to the party.
Therefore, when on the day of the primary election, Oshiomhole who came four hours behind the 8am scheduled for accreditation, decided to hold series of meeting on various complaints surrounding the accreditation process, the Sylva camp believed he was acting out a script.

Before then, based on what they witnessed outside with the attack on their delegates, Alaibe, Aganaba and Amgbare had addressed a press conference calling for the cancellation of the primary because it was “fraught with intimidation, molestation and accreditation of fake delegates”

According to Alaibe: “You have seen the rancourous process leading to the primaries. The process is being marred by irregularities, violence, intimidation and complete disrespect for aspirants, agents and party officials. This is an enactment of negative history for a party that stands on the mantra of change. I think something is missing somewhere and we need to get it right. We have had delegates perceived to be loyal to us, threatened, beaten wounded since morning.
“Quite a lot of people you see here are not delegates. Most of the authentic delegates are outside. We need to put a stop to this process. We will meet with the chairman of the committee and ask for the cancellation of the process”

Aganaba lent his voice to Alaibe’s submission: “I am ashamed of this process. I was a member of the Presidential APC in Lagos. It was a successful convention and when the winner emerged, all other aspirants supported the winner. But the process today is flawed.

“It is a pity that the chairman, Adams Oshiomhole is not here. We have been here since 8am and it is 1pm and he is not here. Most of the delegates here are fake. I toiled for this party and sweated for it to be established in Bayelsa and if l am asking for the cancellation of this exercise, they should know how serious l am. I believe we should even move the primary to another state”.
As of the time Oshiomhole held a meeting with the 19 aspirants and requested for another meeting with the committee members, it became obvious that he had made up his mind to cancel the process. It was then that Sylva had to complain to the national vice chairman, South- South that there is a grand design to deny him the ticket.

“This process was allegedly designed by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun to fail. Tell Him (Oyegun), he has compromised. In short, I will tell him that he has compromised. The process was designed to fail and to deny me of my gains in the party.”
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/baylesa-guber-how-battle-for-apc-ticket-went-sour/

Who Cares

The post is right on spot. The major mistake of the Apc, was its inability to broker a consensus amongst the aspirants not just Timipre Sylva and Timi Alaibe but amongst a broad spectrum of the aspirants. From opinion carried out by Nation Newspaper a mouth piece of Apc Timipre Sylva was not favoured in a contest against Dickson rather Bayelsans seem to be more inclined towards three aspirants Timi Alaibe, Austin Ogionwo Febo and Amb Emmanuel Otiotio, the three aspirants come from the two most favoured zones in the State while Timi Alaibe and Austin Ogionwo comes the Kolokuma/Opukuma axis of the State, Timipre Sylva and Amb Emmanuel Otiotio comes from the Nembe /Brass axis. The kolokuma opukuma axis have not tasted the Governor, Dep governor Speaker of the House of Assembly, The Secretary to State Government or the Chief Judge of the State. On the other hand, 7 LGA'S of which Kolokuma Opokuma is the 8th LGA have all tasted the Governor, Dep Governor Speaker, Secretary to State Government etc and has gone with the kolokuma Opokuma people, if EQUITY and all INCLUSIVENESS must be followed the next Governor of Bayelsa State or at best the Deputy should come from Kolokuma/Opukuma LGA and this to all intent and purpose favour Timi Alaibe and Austin Ogionwo.
In driving a consensus which the leadership of Apc can still agree on we will have the following scenario
1)Timi Alaibe/ Emma Otiotio
2) Austin Ogionwo/ Otiotio
3)Timi Alaibe/Sylva nominee
4)Austin Ogionwo/Sylva nominee
5)T Sylva /Austin Ogionwo
6)E Otiotio/ Austin Ogionwo
7)T Sylva/ T Alaibe nominee
E Otiotio/Alaibe nominee
If the Apc must get it right this is the most plausible thing to do. There is out in the public domain those who believe that the Timi's must both withdraw from the race and act as leaders of party instead.

With Sylva as a flag bearer, hat party is dead on arrival