Moves to field Lyon raise the stakes

Notwithstanding the challenges posed by coronavirus to political meetings, Associate Editor, SAM EGBURONU, reports that interesting developments have helped to raise the stake in the forthcoming Bayelsa Central Senatorial District bye-election

Since the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, declared the seats of Bayelsa Central and Bayelsa West Senatorial Districts vacant, following the election of their occupants as governor and deputy governor of Bayelsa State respectively, stakeholders in both All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have gone back to the drawing boards to source the best candidate that would win the crucial elections.

It would be recalled that it was the current governor, Sen. Diri Douye that represented Bayelsa Central Senatorial District while the current Deputy Governor, Sen. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, represented Bayelsa West at the Red Chamber.

So, in the Central Senatorial District, where insiders said Diri of PDP is working hard now to ensure his choice candidate replaces him at the Senate, top APC stakeholders are also saying the party must field its best to win the seat. This is even so, when results of the last governorship election showed that as at the time of the election, Southern Ijaw Local Government was a stronghold of APC in Bayelsa State. The party, for example reportedly garnered over 90 per cent of votes in the area during the election.

Given this ‘advantage,’ Thomas Opotobo for example, told The Nation that majority of the progressive members of the party today do not want the old leaders to contest the senatorial election or even “meddle in the emergence of the candidates”.

According to him, “considering the interest of Governor Diri to ensure that his former seat at the Senate is occupied by a PDP candidate of his choice, APC youths and concerned members are suggesting that David Lyon, the youthful APC candidate, who actually won the last governorship election in the state, be fielded as the party’s candidate for the Bayelsa Central Senatorial seat. We want him because we feel that if he can win the governorship election, he will certainly and easily win the senatorial election for APC. Don’t forget that APC is very strong here and voters are not likely to lose sight of the injustice done to Lyon and APC by using technical means to deny them of the governorship election they actually won.”

He also contended that many concerned “stakeholders within and outside the party in the zone are of the opinion that if Lyon is voted as the Senator representing Bayelsa Central, it will help to heal the deep political wound the Supreme Court’s judgement inflicted on the state’s political theatre.”

But The Nation inquiries show that the Bayelsa Central Senatorial election, especially the agitation to hand over the seat to Lyon as a form of compensation, is actually more complex than some stakeholders would make it seem.

We gathered that while interest groups and individuals are giving reasons why their aspirants should be handed over the ticket, it has become clear that only a level playing field will help APC to get the seat. This is mainly because of the internal disagreements in the party. A source from the zone, confided that in spite of the alleged popularity of Lyon and the outward campaign for his candidacy, some powerful stakeholders are not only happy that he lost the governorship seat but are determined that he would not get the Central Senatorial seat.

“His supporters are busy singing the song that we must compensate him with the senate seat and that only such compensation will bring peace to our party and the state. This trending song is telling half-truth. The whole truth is that it is that kind of imposition that caused APC Bayelsa the governorship seat. We must learn from our mistakes. We must allow level playing field. Let APC leaders reconcile their differences and allow their best aspirant to emerge the party’s candidate. That is the only way to go if we hope to defeat PDP. If Lyon is as popular as his supporters said, then he will contest the primary and emerge the candidate. I believe this is what we will need to do,” the source, a top APC member in the state, said.

Recently, an APC youth coalition, while promoting their choice aspirant, also cautioned the leadership of APC in Bayelsa State to observe diligence in the screening of its aspirants ahead of the Bayelsa Central and West senatorial elections to forestall what they described as “litigations and judicial pronouncements that do not reflect the wishes of the people.”

Mr Kemesuode Ayoro, the coordinator of the group, made the call in a press statement after a congress to inaugurate ward executive committees, preparatory to the senatorial elections.

Kemesuode said pointedly that the “APC failed to deploy consensus and a thorough internal screening mechanism before fielding standard bearer of the party which occasioned protracted litigations and eventual loss after the Supreme Court pronouncement that sacked Senator Biobarakuma Degi Eremieyo and an APC-led administration in Bayelsa State.”

The youth coalition therefore urged the leadership of APC in Bayelsa State “to, as a matter of urgency, retrace its steps by tipping candidates with proven track records and wide acceptability devoid of favouritism.”

Kemesuode however said the coalition has an aspirant in mind when he said:  “We are looking forward to a process that will build confidence by giving equal opportunity to aspirants whilst suing for sports facility construction expert, Mr Ebi Egbe, to take a shot at representing the people of Bayelsa Central Senatorial district at the red chambers owning to his vast support base, acceptability and development acumen as prerequisite for effective representation.”

He pleaded that “the process should be transparent enough to accommodate professionals like Mr Ebi Egbe.”

Their aspirant of interest aside, the coalition appealed to party stakeholders to be “weary of divisive tendencies and exhaust dialogue.”

Describing the recent crisis rocking APC in the state that led to the suspension of some members of the party “as ill timed,” the coalition called for “a united front if we must win elections.”

Declaring that APC remains the people’s party in the state, Kemesuode further praised David Lyon and party faithful, who displayed maturity during the most trying time of the party, when it lost the governorship seat just moments before inauguration.

Buhari/Jonathan angles

While some political analysts had speculated there would be little or no surprises in the Bayelsa Central Senatorial election as the likely aspirants are already known as the same old players, the matter became more complicated early April when APC’s President Muhammadu Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan of PDP were named in reports on the ongoing underground moves to get a suitable APC candidate.

It was alleged then that both Buhari and Jonathan may be remotely involved in the search for an acceptable and capable Bayelsa Central candidate. Considering the publicly known political persuasions of the two leaders, the report understandably created yet-to-be resolved confusion.

The confusion in both PDP and APC was traced to President Muhammadu Buhari’s congratulatory message in April to a PDP chieftain in the state, Ambassador Godknows Igali, on his 60th birthday. According to the congratulatory message, Buhari, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described Igali as APC senatorial aspirant in the forthcoming Bayelsa Central by-election.

The statement reads in part, “President Muhammadu Buhari felicitates warmly with Ambassador Dr. Godknows Boledei Igali, OON, on the joyous occasion of his 60th birthday anniversary. The President rejoices with the family, friends and political associates of the Bayelsa State-born former career diplomat, retired federal permanent secretary, academic and author, as he celebrates this milestone. “President Buhari commends the over three decades Amb. Igali devoted to a distinguished service of his fatherland, especially while serving as Nigeria’s top diplomat in various countries.” Meanwhile, the President also wished the former Federal Permanent Secretary on his new political aspiration to run for Bayelsa Central Senatorial District seat at the National Assembly under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. “He wishes the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant in the forthcoming Bayelsa rerun election more years of worthy service to the nation and humanity.”

Given that Ambassador Igali was a governorship aspirant during last year’s governorship election in Bayelsa State on the platform of PDP and that until the president’s congratulatory message, Igali, who belongs to the camp of former President Goodluck Jonathan in Bayelsa State PDP, has not formally declared for APC, observers have alleged that Buhari and Jonathan may be remotely linked in the current search for the next representative of Bayelsa Central at the Senate.

What is even more intriguing about the insinuation that Igali may possibly have the endorsement of both Buhari and Jonathan is that he is from the same Southern Ijaw local government area with David Lyon, who was APC governorship candidate during the November governorship election and who is also being suggested by some powerful stakeholders in the ongoing permutations.

Earlier reports on this development has quoted officials of both PDP and APC as evading to make comments though the Bayelsa State Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr Diofie Buokoribo, was quoted as saying he did not know if Igali has joined their party. “I am not aware if Ambassador Igali has joined APC. Better call the President or the secretary of the party, he will have a better record,” he said.

Though everyone is carefully keeping mum, there is no doubt that Lyon’s interest and Igali’s mild suggestions have joined to make the forthcoming Bayelsa Central election more intriguing.

Notwithstanding the challenges posed by coronavirus to political meetings, this interesting build-up in Bayelsa Central, we learnt, has made concerned party members to pile up pressure on the leadership of APC in the state to ensure emergence of an acceptable candidate to stop PDP from retaining the seat.