Dickson emerges PDP candidate in Bayelsa State, amid massive security

SERIAKE DICKSON, PDP Governorship candidate, Bayelsa State

On 19 November, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) held its governorship primary elections in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, and declared Seriake Dickson, a serving member of the House of Representatives, as winner. The event was conducted amidst massive security and in defiance of a restraining court order.

In the result announced by the chairman of the party’s electoral committee, retired Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade, a former military administrator of the state and now Minister of Police Affairs, the party gave Dickson 365 votes.

Of the other candidates, Fred Ekiyegha got two votes, while Francis Doukpola and Kalangho Youpele got one vote each. The fifth aspirant, Austin Febo, who had walked out ahead of the voting, also got two votes. Two other aspirants, Bolobou Orufa and Christopher Fullpower Enai also boycotted the vote, along with National and state assembly members of the party in the state.

At the end of the event, Dickson thanked his rivals and promised to run an inclusive administration once voted into office.

It will be recalled that the election had been preceded by much controversy. On Sunday, 13 November, the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja had ruled out four major contestants: incumbent governor, Timipre Sylva; the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Timi Alaibe; the chief executive of SilverBird Communications, Ben Murray-Bruce; and the former ambassador, Godknows Igali.

On Wednesday, 16 November, Sylva obtained an order from an Abuja High Court, stopping the election on the grounds that he had already emerged as the party’s candidate in primaries conducted earlier in the year. But the PDP said the order was irrelevant, claiming the Electoral Act 2010 excluded courts from intervening in primary election disputes.

However, bowing to the Abuja court’s order, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which ought to have sent observers to observe the election, kept away. Mr Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that his Commission had received a court injunction restraining it from going ahead with the gubernatorial primary. He said: “INEC, as a law-abiding commission, will obey the court order”.

There had been heavy deployment of troops, police and other security agents to Yenagoa since Wednesday, 16 November. On the eve of the election, Sylva expressed deep concern over the security presence. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Doifie Ola, he said as chief security officer of the state, he considered the troop deployments uncalled for and capable of threatening the fundamental human rights of the people.