Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja 

Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State, leaders of the All Progressives Congress APC have demanded a right of first refusal for the former Governor-elect of the state, Chief David Lyon, saying he ought not to be subjected to any contest again, due to his unparalleled contributions to the party. 

The leaders spoke shortly after picking the N50 million Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms for Lyon.

According to them, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP led administration in the state have been gathering religious clerics to pray against the emergence of Chief Lyon as the APC candidate because the PDP knows that more than half its members would defect to APC should the party chieftain get the ticket.

Addressing journalists at the National Secretariat of the party, leader of the delegation, Hon. Marlin Danier said Lyon fought bravely and won the last governorship election for the APC, but “the arms of the law were twisted against him and he was denied the opportunity of being the governor of Bayelsa state to save that state”.

“Today, we are back here to get the forms for him to go back and contest this election.

“Ordinarily, and under normal circumstances, he was supposed to be given the right of first refusal by the party. Sales of forms are not supposed to be made open, because he is the only person that can win the election for APC in Bayelsa state, as it stands now.

“Chief David Lyon has been tested, tried and trusted. As I talk to you, every day, the PDP-led administration is inviting pastors and Imams from different quarters to go and pray that David Lyon will not become the candidate for APC. He is their nightmare. They are comfortable with any other person, but with him, they know they are off. That has been their prayer.

“I can confidently and categorically tell the world that if David Lyon is given the ticket today, to represent the party more than half of the membership of PDP will come back to the APC”, he added.

Also speaking, a former Member of the House of Representatives, Dr Stella Dorgu, the APC leaders have out in place measures to ensure that no one snatches their victory this time.

She said; “This will be the second time in four years that we will be making this trip to pick up the forms, but most unfortunately, victory was snatched just at the nick of time. And part of the reason was that David Lyon, being true to his name lion, dared to dare the lion in its den. 

“We are here to assure Bayelsans that we are ready this time. We have got our work cut out for us. We have put plans in place”.

On his part, first Minority Leader of the Bayelsa House of Assembly, Hon. Indutimi Komonibo, said those who came to pick the forms for Lyon were drawn from different parties.

“We have come today to make history, in the sense that for the first time, Bayelsans across party lines are asking us, whether PDP or Labour Party or APC when will your party forms come out? When will APC sell forms, of course, they asked us if it is David Lyon.

“Irrespective of party affiliation we are coming to vote for him into governance.

This is a cross-section of people from Bayelsa State. Not only APC, not only PDP, in short, even those who do not belong to any political party, but we are also all here to pick the forms for David Lyon”, he explained.