*As PDP excludes him, Alaibe from guber primaries
*Party takes final decision today
*Governors fight for Sylva

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Henry Umoru and Samuel Oyadongha

GOVERNOR Timipre Sylva was fighting for his political life yesterday after the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP excluded him from the list of those prequalified to contest the November 19 gubernatorial primaries.

The National Working Committee, NWC, of the party is meeting this morning to take a final decision on the Bayelsa issues. Ahead of today’s meeting a number of Governors present in Abuja for a scheduled meeting of the Governors were reported to have last night also intervened on behalf of the Governor with President Goodluck Jonathan.

Governor Sylva’s clearance for the PDP gubernatorial primaries was put on hold following what party sources told Vanguard yesterday were serious security concerns around him. Also refused clearance by the Gubernatorial Appeals Committee which considered the report of the Screening Committee were Mr. Timi Alaibe erstwhile Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta and Mr. Ben Murray Bruce, the erstwhile Managing Director of the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA.

Governor Sylva in a riposte last night, poured mockery on what he described as the desperate attempt by some to truncate his political ascendancy. While describing the attempts against him as laughable, he afffirmed that he was in touch with the party and the President who have all assured him that the party would base its actions on the rule of law.

Governor Timipre Sylva

Appeals committee

A statement issued by the PDP national publicity secretary Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali, named those approved for the primaries as Oruta Justine Boloubo; Henry Seriake Dickson; Enai Christopher Fullpower; and Kalango Michael Youppele. The clearance of the four followed the scrutiny of the Appeals Committee report submitted to the party yesterday. The committee headed by former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi Vanguard learnt had indeed faulted the clearance of many of those approved by the Screening Committee headed by Brigadier General Idi Adamu.

A source within the committee disclosed yesterday that the panel rejected the clearance given to four of the nominees but put consideration of Governor Sylva’s eligibility to the NWC. “There were a number of issues involved including security which we believe would be better handled by the National Working Committee,” the source deposed.

There were also indications yesterday of serious efforts made to compromise the committee as a way of influencing the report. The efforts were reportedly rebuffed. It was based on the report of the Olujimi Committee that some members of the NWC met with President Goodluck Jonathan where the issues were raised before yesterday’s provisional clearance that stopped Governor Sylva and the other heavyweights from the primaries.  The NWC is expected to give a definitive statement on the Bayelsa governorship this afternoon when it convenes for its normal weekly meeting.

A member of the NWC speaking on the development, said: “What Sylva got in Port Harcourt was a provisional clearance and there were petitions against him before, during and after the screening, so it is not out of place for us to now carry out another screening where we can either ratify what the two panels did or take a new and different decision,” the source who spoke on the basis of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue said.

It was learnt that because time was short to visit the state to verify the issues raised by the Olujimi’s panel against Sylva, the party leadership would consult major stakeholders from the state before taking a decision on the eligibility of the Governor and others angling for the contest. The concern of the party is the people of Bayelsa and not Sylva, we want to win the governorship election in the state, if removing him to win election is the general view of the people, we will not hesitate to do that.”

The refusal of the screening panel and the appeals committee to allow Alaibe to contest the primary one party source said was aimed at instilling discipline in party members who leave the party at the simplest offence.  A member of the Appeals Committee affirmed that Alaibe’s case was not even brought to it for consideration as he noted that he, Alaibe was stopped at the Screening Panel.

Governor Sylva is fighting a battle in all fronts to deliver him from the inglorious record of being the only Governor from the region to end up as a one term Governor. Many of the State’s leading political stakeholders are up in battle against the Governor getting a second term. Remarkably, nearly all of those opposed to the Governor are based outside the state. On the contrary, majority of the party stakeholders at home are aligned with the Governor including the entire members of the State House of Assembly and his cabinet.

Sylva’s Battles
Though Governor Sylva’s close aides continue to dismiss any role by President Jonathan in his troubles, many pundits, however, trace a long history of frostiness in relations between Sylva and many of President Jonathan’s close associates. Indeed, one of President Jonathan’s closest associates, King Johnny Turner, the erstwhile Chairman of the Federal Inland Waterways has been conspicuous in mobilizing support against Sylva.

Turner who is a traditional ruler in the state is believed to be propping the candidacy of Rep. Dickson, now a second term member of the House of Representatives who served as a commissioner under then Governor Jonathan. Dickson also a close associate of President Jonathan, was for most of his first term in the House of Representatives, on war path with Governor Sylva.

The beginning of the frostiness according to many stakeholders was in February 2008 when Governor Sylva allegedly unilaterally overturned the agreement by all PDP stakeholders in the state to sustain the then PDP state executive led by Mr. Fred Agbedi. Present at that stakeholders’ meeting in the Bayelsa Government House were then Vice-President Jonathan, Governor Sylva, all three Senators from the state and members of the House of Representatives, the then Deputy Governor, C hief Peremobowei Ebebi, members of the then executive of the party including Agbedi and other major stakeholders.

At that meeting the stakeholders had agreed that the Agbedi led executive should be sustained for the foreseeable future following what some considered as its efforts in uniting all fragments of the party together. The motion to adopt the resolution was moved by Sylva’s then deputy, Ebebi with Sylva in attendance. However, two weeks later the Governor was said to have given his support to the sacking of the Agbedi executive. Remarkably, Agbedi was sacked while Sylva was accompanying then President Umaru Yar‘Adua on a state visit to China.

The insinuation was that Sylva had the backing of the then President to humiliate the then Vice-President. The frostiness between Jonathan’s loyalists and Sylva exacerbated further at the onset of the crisis that shadowed d late President’s illness. Governor Sylva was accused in some quarters of not teaming up with those who were against the enthronement of the then Vice-President as Acting President. However, no evidence was ever produced to show any action by Governor Sylva to undercut the ascendancy of the then Vice-President.

But there were no doubts about Governor Sylva’s loyalty and commitment to Dr. Jonathan after Jonathan was proclaimed Acting President and subsequently after he was sworn in as President last year.

Governor Sylva was at the forefront in the campaign to win Dr. Jonathan the PDP presidential ticket ahead of the presidential primaries last January. The Governor delivered the entire Bayelsa votes to Dr. Jonathan. Associates of the Governor were yesterday dismissive of fresh allegations of altercations between both men with one of them saying yesterday that the Governor was in daily contact with the President.

At a press conference last night, Governor Sylva said: “I am in touch with the national leadership of our great party, including Mr. President. I have received solid assurances at the highest levels that the party would base all its actions concerning the Bayelsa Gubernatorial primaries on law. I am happy about that.

As a sitting governor, I expect protection from my party and all its organs as all sorts of machinations can be plotted against me. I assure all – the people of Bayelsa State, my supporters and others – that I remain in the race for re-election as Governor of Bayelsa State on the platform of the PDP. I am in the race to win. I am a founding member of the PDP. I wish to remain a member of the PDP.  And we all look forward to a free, fair and transparent contest.”

The lucky four cleared

Orufa Justine Boloubo
Orufa Justine Boloubo was a former chairman of Yenagoa local government area. He is believed to have the ears of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan. Though a popular figure in Yenagoa constituency II, his ambition of contesting the seat in the State House of Assembly vacated by the present deputy Governor, Werinipre Seibarugu who vacated the seat following his elevation as the Deputy Governor (in the wake of the impeachment of Peremobowei Ebebi as Deputy Governor) was reportedly scuttled. Seibarugu reportedly preferred Ebipade Femokowei who is now the incumbent.

Henry Dickson
Henry Seriake Dickson represents the hope of the Bayelsa West senatorial district, which is yet to produce the governor of the state. He had brief stint in the Nigerian Police Force where started as a recruit but left the force to further his education at the University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt where he read law. He was a former chairman of the Alliance for Democracy in the state and also served as legal adviser to the Ijaw National Congress (INC) he later moved to the PDP and was strong member of the Green Movement, the campaign organization of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan which returned the latter in the 2007 governorship primaries.

He also served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under then Governor Jonathan from 2005- 2007. He resigned in 2007 to contest the Bayelsa West Federal Constituency election in the House of Representatives. He is now in his second term in the House of Representatives and is one of the strong loyalists of the President in Abuja. His greatest advantage in the race is that his Bayelsa West Senatorial constituency is yet to produce a Governor for the State.

Enai Christopher
Enai Christopher is also from the Bayelsa West senatorial district. He hails from Peretorugbene in the Ekeremor local government area of the state. He was a pioneer member of the state House of Assembly and also a former member of the House of Representatives. He also has the advantage of coming from Bayelsa West.

Kalango Michael Youpele
Kalango Michael Youpele hails from the Brass council area in the Bayelsa East senatorial district like the incumbent governor, Chief Timipre Sylva. Kalango a former member of the House of Representatives representing the Brass federal constituency is a popular golf player.

Aside is being a former member of the House of Representatives, he has maintained a low profile in the politics of the state. Being from the same senatorial district as Sylva, he could sharpen his advantage by pushing for the senatorial district to do a second term. However, no civilian Governor of Bayelsa State has completed a second term.