BAYELSA State Governor, Chief Timipreye Sylva must be passing through a state of utter confusion now.He must be getting dizzy from whispers of his ardent loyalists as well as feeling embarrassed and humiliated because , as it now appears, he faces the possibility of being excluded from the gubernatorial primaries unless the political thinking at the hierarchy of his party, the PDP changes drastically. This means he may not be allowed to even stake his candidature to contest the second term election.Politics in Bayelsa State in the run up to the gubernatorial primaries coming up on November 19, 2011 preparatory to the elections next year has thrown up a predictable aspirant, Mr. Timi Alaibe who has become a veteran of some sort in gubernatorial elections in the state. Alaibe, a former Managing Director of the NDDC and former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta with responsibilities for the amnesty programme, staked his gubernatorial aspiration against Chief DSP Alaimeseigha in 2003 but lost; tried against Dr Goodluck Jonathan and also lost. In apparent frustration, he moved to the Labour Party from the PDP to contest the April 2011 election. The election never held because the Court ruled that Sylva's tenure was yet to expire. Sensing that the Labour Party may not be a solid platform in Bayelsa State, he moved back to PDP. What can you deduce out of all these' Is it just a mere desperation to be a governor of his state or he has something special to offer! In all his moves to govern Bayelsa since 2003, he is yet to have the opportunity of facing the electorate the farthest he has gone has been the primaries. With the PDP, his chances are bleak and appear to be slipping away as he is yet to be cleared for the primaries. Will he swing back to the Labour Party' If he does, then he should be prepared to sing nunc dimittis to his political career in Bayelsa.Another notable entrant is the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under Dr. Jonathan in the state, now a member of the House of Representatives Hon Seriake- Dickson. He has been in the wings for quite a while and is highly favoured by close associates and loyalists of President Jonathan. Jonathan remains a formidable factor as to who gets the nod. Secondly, he is the first eminently qualified aspirant seeking to be Governor from Bayelsa West, the only political zone that is yet to be privileged to govern the state. He enjoys the solid backing of those that matter from that political block.The emergence of Ben Bruce, a media mogul and a consummate businessman, in the politics of Bayelsa, is the greatest surprise of all. This former Director-General of NTA who started and nurtured his electronic media outfit comprising of radio and television from the scratch to attain the present international stature, is the last man in the expectation of not a few, to actively join the political fray. Many are surprised about his entry, wondering if he had all these times been involved in partisan politics. Very urbane and a man of cultivated taste, people only associated him with high octane events and shuttles between world capitals hobnobbing with business dignitaries. I am still wondering that if elected governor, how he would ride in a dug-out canoe to meander through the creeks to visit the poor folks that populate the vastly oil-rich state. Does he even know the geography of the state beyond Yenogoa, and perhaps the route to his native Akasa village' Can he communicate in the local ijaw language' Though he possess the character that can elevate Bayelsa from the image of a backyard state. Until he is cleared to contest the primaries, we may never know the veracity of the godfather rumour which he is alleged to have.The picture that is gradually emerging indicates that the real contest is between Sylva, Seriake- Dickson and Alaibe. Both Sylva and Alaibe are not yet cleared to run. But the intense power play is peaking daily; the political intrigues are hay-wired. Of the three, Sylva is fighting the political battle of his life as the odds are stacked against him. In this desperate game of survival reports alleged that several millions of naira have exchanged hands.As the battle rages, the latest reports indicate that more aspirants may be cleared to contest the primaries. This batch may include Sylva and Bruce. Sylva's headache before now has been a petition linked to alleged wrongdoing bordering on financial malfeasance, which insiders consider weighty. At the end of the day, clearance of more aspirants might be predicated on factors that accord with the Constitution of the party, including ability to deliver dividends of democracy to the state, undiluted loyalty, security reports and the opinion of PDP leaders in Bayelsa and National Headquarters. Don't forget, Bayelsa is the President's home-state.
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