PDP WAS DEFEATED IN BAYELSA POLLS BECAUSE IT WAS A ONE MAN SHOW..MOSES SILOKO SPEAKS

Moses Siasia A former governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Mr. Moses Siasia, in this interview, reviews last Saturday’s governorship election, identifying the major issues that led to the defeat of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. In pointing out what the victory of All Progressives Congress, APC, means, Siasia says the outcome of the exercise is the will of the people.      

As a stakeholder in Bayelsa State, who witnessed last Saturday’s poll, how would you describe theexercise? 

 Bayelsans were very resolute in choosing their governor. The exercise was relatively peaceful when compared to 2015 although a lot of people said that it wasn’t peaceful. Where I voted was peaceful. There was no form of violence in my community, Odoni in Sagbama Local Government Area, LGA, of the state. As for the voting pattern,Bayelsans came out in large numbers to vote for the candidate of their choice.It reflects the will of the people and it also goes further to say that thepeople were determined to choose who leads them. With the choice they made,they have chosen a new political leadership in the state.

   Violence, logistics challenges and irregularities were reported. Did they influence the outcome of the exercise? As I said earlier, it cannot be compared to the 2015 governorship election in Bayelsa State, but we know that there is no election that is devoid of challenges in Nigeria. Even local government elections conducted by state   governments are not always very peaceful.There may have been crises in a few places but the election was alright in my assessment. The outcome of the elections cannot be tagged to violence or any form of electoral malpractice. Bayelsans  were resolute  in choosing David Lyon  as   their next governor. He is a successful businessman with character.   

Looking at the conduct of the poll, would you say that it represented an improvement on  previous elections in the state? 

I am restating that the 2019 election is a lot better than what we had in 2015 when I contested. In 2015, the exercise was like a political bazaar in Bayelsa State.The poll was marred with violence. In that election, results were cancelled   in Southern Ijaw and other parts of the state by the Independent NationalElectoral Commission, INEC. In the just-concluded election, there was no cancellation  and there was no rerun election in any part of the state. I also believe our people are now politically conscious  and matured. A lot of people expected that there would be violence and the likes but to our greatest surprise, it was relatively peaceful  compared to what happened in Kogi Statewhere another governorship election held on the same day.

   Can you give us an insider account of the factors that made the pendulum swing to the side of the APC against popular expectations? 

I need to state  here  that every leader must be conscious of the fact that he was elected to servethe people, not otherwise. Every leader must be conscious that his service tothe people is  centred on trust. The moment people are no longer comfortable with the nature of your service delivery, the trust would be no more. The people would rebel against such leadership. That was the case in Bayelsa State.The failed programmes of Seriake Dickson’s two terms do not in any way reflectthe needs of the people. 

The people appear dissatisfied with the level ofdevelopment and quality of leadership in the state. I keep telling people thata man cannot do more than his capacity. What we are seeing in Bayelsa is the  capacity  of Governor Dickson. Some had expected more from Dickson because he is the onlygovernor to have served for eight years since 1999. Also, leadership is service to the  people. You must respect elders, respect the people you lead andyou must be humble. These virtues were absent and that was why the APC tookadvantage of Dickson’s poor performance and wrong choice at the PDP primaries.

The people were hopeless because the level of underdevelopment in the statecannot be imagined. People are suffering and salaries are not being paidpromptly. Crime is on the increase and there are no employment opportunitiesfor our youths. There are many complex issues that the administration is notaddressing. Leaders must understand that once they do not provide basic amenities,they would lose their positions. Governor Dickson was not even a member of PDPbefore he was made the Commissioner for Justice in Bayelsa State by GoodluckJonathan when he was governor in 2005. 

Dickson was a member of Alliance for Democracy, AD, and later moved to All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP. He joined the PDP after his appointment as the Attorney General and Commissioner forJustice. Goodluck Jonathan was instrumental to his emergence as a member of theHouse of Representatives. This same man denied others some opportunities in theparty, claiming that they are newcomers.  

 We learned there was  elite conspiracy  against PDP. In fact, the gist is that Bayelsa elites  resolved to stop Governor Dickson’s candidate.What truly happened? The candidate of the governor, Sen Diri was unpopular. 

There was no proper consultation in choosing a candidate for the party. It was just a one-man show. One man did it alonebecause he is the governor of the state. I can recall what happened during theprimaries where the governor appointed local government chairmen andvice-chairmen a month before the primaries. Making them statutory delegates  contravened the constitution of the PDP. The party guideline says statutory names of delegates must be sent to the National Executive Committee, NEC, and ratified 90 days before the primaries. An LGA election was quickly  conducted to increase the number of people who will vote in the primaries. No man can takethe place of God. Party leaders, elders, party faithful were disrespected. 

If a popular candidate had emerged, we would not be talking about APC winningBayelsa but the selfishness of just one man led us to where we are today. The  defeat of the PDP in Bayelsa is an indictment on the leadership of the NationalChairman of PDP, Uche Secondus. In politics consultation matters, you do not just take decisions on your own. Politics isnot played in such a manner, You must carry the people along and allow theirwish to prevail. Bayelsa elders sat down and agreed to encourage someparticular candidates, but the governor refused because he had an interior motive. In his two terms, he did not groom a successor. That was why an emergency candidate emerged and he expected people to support him because he is a super governor.   The outcome of the election is symbolic for many reasons. 

First, Bayelsa is a stronghold of thePDP. Second, it is the home state of former President Goodluck Jonathan who belongs to the losing party. When you put all these together, what do you think are the implications?

 In Nigeria, we  tend to politicise every  issue. Former President Goodluck Jonathan is a father of all.He is a statesman who listens to the body language of his people. PDP or noPDP, Jonathan is respected. Today, Jonathan sits in the Council of Statesmeeting as former President, not because he is a PDP member. You cannot disputethat it is Jonathan’s party but what about those who contested in otherparties? They are also the children of Jonathan. When one child has gone astray and there is an opportunity to support the child that is promising, should he support the one that is going astray? It does not work that way. 

The way the governor played his politics undermined the importance that Jonathan brings to the state. PDP lost to APC in the state and there are no implications. APC should see its victory as uncommon and recognise  the need to govern Bayelsa better. The Governor-elect,David Lyon must as matter urgency set up a robust economic team to articulate a 20-year economic blueprint backed by legislation. This would inspire hope and bring about sustainable development to the state.   

What are the traditional factors that determine who wins a governorship poll in Bayelsa andto what extent did they play out in this election?

 Bayelsa is a small state where    we have people of repute who support the democratic process.Bayelsa people are very interested in politics. I am pained sometimes to be called a Bayelsan because where we are today is not where we are  supposed to be. How much have we received in the last eight years? How much can we show for all we have  collected from the federation account? What about the funds realised from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR?   

Agreed, there is an airport after eight years. Is the airport functional? In education so much has been spent with little on the ground. What component of the amount spent on education was invested in vocational education?  Hyundai Heavy Industries, Saipem, Daewoo, and other big corporations have all left the statebecause the leadership doesn’t understand the economic importance of suchcompanies. Lands are not given to potential investors. Businesses are evendenied Certificate of Occupancy. 

Businessmen like us who are willing to invest in our state do not find the leadership friendly. Our Governor-elect should know that his victory is divine. He is also on a path of history as the first businessman to be elected governor. He should know that he has a lot of responsibilities. Our state is in debt. The strength of our young people must be harnessed for productive ventures. 

David Lyon needs a team that would be innovative based on current global realities to ensure tha the state’s lost glory is restored. He should work with the federal government to attract strategic investments and change the narrative.  

 Curled from Vanguard..