By Sam Oyandogha
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made good its promise to hold its gubernatorial primaries in Bayelsa State, yesterday, notwithstanding a court order stopping the exercise.

The aspirant believed to be the candidate of President Goodluck Jonathan, Seriake Dickson, won the primaries boycotted by three contenders at the last minute.

Governor Timpre Sylva, shut out of the exercise by the PDP leadership, alongside two high profile aspirants – Mr Timi Alaibe and Mr Ben Bruce – was, last nite, said to be weighing the options open to him ahead of the state’s gubernatorial election scheduled for February, next year.

The primaries themselves were held amid tight security with armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and helicopter gunships deployed in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, where the exercise held.

Dickson polled 365 votes to emerge the winner of the primary election while two other contenders: Doukopla Francis Amaebi and Kalango Youpele, scored one vote each.

Another aspirant, Fred Ekiyegba, scored two votes.

Seriake Dickson winner of PDP primary in Bayelsa

One of the aspirants who walked out of the primaries, Austin Febo, had two votes while his colleagues who also walked out: Christopher Fullpower Enai and Bolobou Orufa, scored nil.

The chairman of the PDP electoral panel which supervised the primaries, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd), declared Dickson, a member of the House of Representatives, the winner of the shadow election, “having polled the highest number of votes.”

Dickson, in his acceptance speech, thanked all the delegates to the primaries and his rivals,”especially Chief Francis Doukpola Amaebi, Youpele Kalango, Fred Ekiyegba and others for your courage”, promising to run an all-inclusive government “when voted into power in 2012.”

Security

Security around the Samson Siasia Stadium, venue of the PDP primaries, was water tight.

Armed soldiers from the Joint Task Force (JTF) and anti-riot policemen, backed by APCs and anti bomb trucks, were deployed in the area to provide security.

The Lambert Eradiri road linking the DSP Alamieyeseigha Way to the FMC junction connecting the venue of the primaries was shut down to human and vehicular traffic. Residents on the Aretalin street, Gwegwe street and Obele street, some distance away from the Samson Siasia Stadium venue of the primaries, were confined to their homes.

The situation was not different on the Onopa flank leading to the stadium as it was completely shut down to traffic.

Two helicopter gunships were noticed in the early hours of the day hovering over the venue of the primaries to provide aerial security ostensibly due to the tension the exercise had generated in the last one week in the wake of the disqualification of Sylva from contesting for the PDP ticket by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP.

Accreditation of delegates for the primaries was held at the Peace Park opposite Bayelsa Government House amid security mounted by soldiers and police backed by APCs stationed at the entrance before the delegates headed for Siasia Stadium, venue of the primaries.

The atmosphere was calm in spite of the heavy security presence in town. Accreditation started at 9a.m. and was completed at 11.45a.m.

The delegates, who filed out for accreditation, were in high spirit and indifferent to the heavy security presence.

Delegates arrival

The first batch of delegates were driven into the Samson Siasia Stadium football pitch at exactly 12.45 p.m. in six buses escorted by a black siren blaring police patrol van.

The venue was electrified with music to entertain the delegates.

The second batch of delegates arrived the venue at about 1 p.m. in four buses including Dickson, Amaebi, Enai and Febo.

Others include Peremobowei Ebebi, a former deputy governor of the state.

Dickson and Febo, spotting cream dress, walked together to the canopy exchanging pleasantries. Amaebi was clad in ash colour Ijaw traditional attire and black resource control hat to match while Enai wore flowing dark colour Ijaw traditional don attire and hat to match.

The third and fourth batches of delegates arrived the primaries venue at 1.15 p.m. and 1.18 p.m. respectively in five buses.

King Amalate Johnny Turner, a close associate of President Goodluck Jonathan, arrived the primaries venue at 1.25 p.m., looking confident and was ushered to his seat by Mitema Obordo, former chairman of Ogbia local government area.

The fifth batch of delegates arrived in four buses at 1.34 p.m. while Olubolade, leader of the PDP electoral panel, arrived at 1.35 p.m.

Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, one of the delegates from his ward at Amassoma in Southern Ijaw council area, was ushered to his seat by delegates from his constituency who accorded him a standing ovation

Olubolade promised to conduct free and fair primaries that the aspirants and the people of the state would be proud of even as he solicited the cooperation of the contenders to play according to the rules of the game.He said a total of 411 delegates were accredited to participate in the primaries in which the modified open secret balloting was adopted.

Sylva and his deputy, Werinipre Seibarugu, as well as members of the national and state assemblies from Bayelsa State were conspicuously absent from the exercise ostensibly in protest against the way the governor was shut out by the national leadership of the PDP.

Three aspirants staged a walk out over the conduct of the ward congress.

Also, as the voting proper was about to commence, three of the aspirants: Enai, Orufa and Febo, walked out in protest over how the delegates emerged.

The aspirants, who tabled their grievances before the electoral committee, hinged the reason for their boycotting of the exercise on what they described as the fraudulent manner the list of delegates was drawn up.

They said though the ward congress was held on Monday, the names of delegates ought to have been displayed at the party secretariat for them to know and be in the position to solicit their support before the primaries, saying this was not done.

”We don’t know where the delegates list emerged from and we are boycotting the exercise,” the aggrieved aspirants declared, alleging that the list was drawn up by an aspirant whose name they refused to disclose.

Amaebi also tabled his complaint on the alleged fraudulent conduct of the ward congress like the other aggrieved aspirants but stayed back and took part in the primaries in deference to the chairman of the electoral committee, who promised to relay the aspirants complaints to the national leadership of the PDP.

Olubolade told the aggrieved gubernatorial contenders that his mandate was to conduct the primaries. “We have taken note of your complaints. It is my duty to relay same to Abuja for the national leadership of the party to look into the matters you raised,” he said.

Voting commenced with delegates from Brass local government being the first to cast their votes.

Jonathan was conspicuously absent at the primaries in spite of the claim that his advance team arrived the state Friday night.

The Sylva option

Meanwhile, there were indications, weekend, that Sylva may have lost out in the PDP power play.

The governor seemed to have been left in the cold as all the former Bayelsa chairmen of the party since the enthronement of democratic rule attended the gubernatorial primaries.

He is now left with the option of pursuing his shut out from the primaries in the law court or dump the PDP and pitch tent with another party to actualise his ambition of vying in the 2012 race.