By Tonye Tamuno

A former Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Timi Alaibe, is living up to the description of his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as homecoming.

Timi Alaibe…I am contesting to be Governor of Bayelsa State to lead others to free the President and all Bayesans from the embarrassment that the current State Government has become.

Ever since he returned to the party, Alaibe has been a key player in its positioning as a virile fold, especially in his home state, Bayelsa.

This is not just to the attestation of party faithful but the state governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, whose administration is being supported to succeed in every area by Alaibe and his supporters.

However, his growing presence in the PDP shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone familiar with his political trajectory which informed the description of his return as homecoming.

Indeed, it was a homecoming since the parable of the lost sheep largely reflected in his decision to dump the All Progressives Congress ,APC, for the PDP.

The news of the return with prominent leaders in Bayelsa State, was symbolically the return of the lost son, who embarked on a journey fruitfulness voyage.

Apart from his supporters, notable chieftains, who defected to the PDP, with him were former Secretary to Bayelsa State Government, SSG, Gideon Ekeowei; one time Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Chief Keme Prefa; ex-chairman of Sagbama Local Government Council, Barnabas Edure, former Executive Secretary; State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, Rhodesia Whyte; and former state lawmakers including Nelson Belief.   Those were not the only people.

Interestingly, even Alaibe himself acknowledged that his latest move was a return to base. And true to the natural laws guiding such an event in the biblical times, there is more joy in Bayelsa PDP now about this move.

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The development is instructive in Bayelsa given that it goes a long way to confirm that the PDP is now more attractive than ever.

Considering that the ex-NDDC boss was actually coming from a ruling party, leaves one with the impression that his mission is not self-serving.   It is a call to a higher, deeper inclination in the interest of the people.

For Alaibe, the PDP is a familiar turf, having commenced his political journey on its platform. At the same time, he had served this country in top capacities on the party’s platform.   The records are there for many to see how Alaibe served his people and Nigeria creditably and selflessly.

In fact, Alaibe had been a major player in the PDP and was when he left, one of its leading lights   in Bayelsa, the South South and indeed, Nigeria.

Some might question why he   returned to a fold he dumped. Even if such a question may not be with malice, it is imperative to state that Alaibe left PDP when it was politically expedient. Now that he had experienced the APC, also, it won’t be wrong to say that he has realised the platform that best serves his and his peoples’ interests. This is not to say that he switched his party as a result of selfishness. We should not lose sight of the fact that interest is the only permanent thing in politics. Besides, every politics is local.   And were he to have wished for self alone, the national, ruling platform remains a very veritable one to do that.

Perhaps, this is the reason he has reconnected with his root, which is a rudimentary political platform. The party’s strong presence in the state, makes it imperative that someone like Alaibe should not stand by the side or outside the fold, and watch.

Alaibe is an asset to any development agenda in the state any day. This is one of the major reasons   his presence in the PDP excites the party.

Worthy of note is the fact that the party he has returned to is a different picture from the one he left for the APC. Having undergone reforms at various organs, there is a breath of fresh air in the party.

Under its new leadership, the PDP now exemplifies how well a political party should run in a multi-party democracy.

This is no longer a party that failed to learn from its past but one that offers every member equal opportunities to take part in the political process. If this is the case, then, Alaibe now belongs to the fold of true democracts, bringing with him his wealth of experience and exposure.

Like most steps undertaken for the common good, Alaibe is not alone in this, as Dickson should be commended for leading the party right. Had the governor not offered leadership in the PDP when it mattered most, none would have found the fold attractive.

As highlighted earlier that his mission could be easily misconstrued   as being driven by personal ambition, it is worth noting that the Ijaw nation has always found a way to rally its own, just as it attracts the fraternity of other ethnic groups in Nigeria, a testament to Dickson’s cosmopolitan worldview – which is also present in Alaibe’s.

The average man is ambitious and as such, if Alaibe is called upon to serve, it would be an honour to respond.   Having used his capacity as the head of NDDC and Coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme, to selflessly promote peace and development in the country, it would not be surprising seeing Alaibe respond to more callings.

*Tamuno, a former lawmaker writes from Yenagoa