NEDU MARK, Yenagoa
Spokesman for the Bayelsa People’s Consultative Assembly, Chief Alex Ekiotenne, has declared that former State Governor and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, will not contest the 2016 Governorship election in the state.
Ekiotenne, who made this known at a news conference in Yenagoa, Tuesday, said his position was based on a meeting held with Chief Sylva and members of the National Working Committee of the APC.
Before now, speculations were rife that Sylva, who was allegedly denied the second term ticket by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was staging comeback as governor.
Ekiotenne said the BPCA, a group of elders, who hitherto were pro-Dickson, had indicated their interest to declare for the APC, stressing that they had found the APC as the best platform to deepen good governance in the state.
The group spokesman said in no distant time, the group would organise a summit in Yenagoa where they would formally defect alongside like minds for the APC.
“The BPCA ad hoc committee in fulfilment and in furtherance of the mandate given to it at its general Assembly meeting embarked on further consultations with Sylva and the National Working Committee of the APC led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. It is worthy to mention two important developments in the course of that round of consultations: The NSCDC of APC gave its blessing to the holding of a grand rally for the declaration of all prominent new members and their teeming supporters into the APC fold.
“The leader of the APC in Bayelsa, Chief Timipre Sylva, clearly reiterated his resolve to stay out of the governorship contest to create a level-playing field for the emergence of a credible candidate of choice for the APC in the forthcoming election.”
The BPCA spokesman also used the opportunity to disengage from his positions as Honorary Special Adviser and member, Board of Directors of Bayelsa Oil Palm Limited, noted that Governor Seriake Dickson had failed the Bayelsa populace.
He alleged that lack of strategic planning, prioritisation and a result oriented advisory system had given productivity and sustained performance of Dickson’s administration as serious impairment.
“While productivity was expected to rise, there was a steady decline in productivity and good performance of government in almost all sectors, which has inexorably led us to the present state of gloom.
“The decline in federal revenue is a universal issue that all states have to grapple with as a result of the drop in oil revenue. But can we justifiably attribute all our woes to the drop in federal allocation, Successive governments of the state got carried away with the fat federal allocations over the years and so did not think of developing the industrial, agricultural and commercial sectors of the economy that would have been able to promote internally generated revenue in leaps and bounds.
“Bayelsans believe that if consultations and strategic planning including prioritisation had been sustained, we would not have found ourselves where we are today.”
Ekiotenne said the APC was the party to beat in the coming governorship election, adding that the Dickson led government had squandered its political capital and that the psyche of the PDP had broken down irretrievably, particularly with the suspension and expulsion of its leading figures.
He also spoke on the factional crisis in the APC, saying Chief Tiwei Orunimighe, remained the substantive and recognised Chairman of the party in the state.
