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  • Dickson leading in rerun poll, says PDP

    Dickson leading in rerun poll, says PDP

    •Governor plotting to declare self winner, incite people- APC

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday claimed that its candidate in the Bayelsa State Governorship election, Seriake Dickson, was leading in the supplementary election in the Southern Ijaw LGA and 101 units.

    The party said the results collated by it in various polling units and wards across the state showed it had widened its initial lead.

    PDP, in a statement that emanated from the Government House, said the PDP swept the polls in units and wards in Amassoma, Otuan, Ogbia, Nembe Ogbolomabiri, Ekpetiama and some other communities.

    It said “The PDP, as at the time of filing this report, polled 7,234 votes while APC is having 1,948 votes. Decentralisation of election materials policy adopted by the Independent National Election Commission, (INEC) assisted in the early arrival of materials in some communities, even though there were reported cases of hijacking of election materials and violence in some areas.

    “Voters, as reliably informed, were resolute in their determination to put the governorship election behind them which was declared inconclusive by INEC on December, 5 and 6, 2015.

    “To ensure the success of the poll, the Nigeria Police Force deployed 5,000 officers to the various polling units across the state.

    “Political thugs suspected to be working for the leading opposition party were not deterred by the presence of the security operatives as they unleashed terror on Ekeremor, Famgbe and Nembe communities.”

    But the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation (SICO) alerted security agencies to an alleged plot by Governor Seriake Dickson to seize broadcast stations and declare himself the winner of the poll.

    SICO, in a statement by its Director, Media and Publicity, Chief Nathan Egba, appealed to security agencies to ensure that no one uses any of the broadcast stations in the state to either announce election result or incite people against the opposing political parties or the federal government.

    Egba said: “It would be recalled that Governor Seriake Dickson of the PDP regrettably deployed the state owned radio station, Glory 97.1FM, Yenagoa and other broadcast stations to heighten the tension and incite the people to violence in the aftermath of the botched December 5th and 6th governorship poll.

    “We decided to raise the issue to draw attention to the ongoing desperate attempts of Governor Dickson to arbitrarily announce concocted results through the social media and state –owned media organisations and declare himself winner of the governorship election.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, it is to be noted that the purported attempts of Governor Dickson to either by himself, cronies or agents to declare himself winner is clearly in contravention of the Electoral Act as amended and also unconstitutional to the extent that such an action offends the clear provisions of the 1999 constitution that established the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”

    Egba also asked Dickson to consider the criminal consequences of any attempt to declare himself as winner of the election, saying it would amount to usurping the powers of the electoral body, INEC.

  • Fear of violence as Dickson, Sylva engage in final battle

    Fear of violence as Dickson, Sylva engage in final battle

    State yesterday as voters in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and over 101 polling units across six local government areas prepare for today’s supplementary governorship election.

    The election is being contested by Chief Timipre Sylva and Governor Seriake Dickson, the candidates of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) respectively.

    Since it started on December 5, the election has been a two-horse race between Dickson and Sylva.

    The December 5 governorship poll in the state was declared inconclusive with supplementary election fixed for today after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) controversially cancelled the results of the election in Southern Ijaw.

    Our correspondent observed that Southern Ijaw has been soaked in tension in the build-up to the rerun. Hired militants and thugs were believed to have laid siege to the council preparing to violently deliver it to their candidates.

    Some of the thugs, who were allegedly brought into the council from neighboring states of Delta and Rivers, were said to have clashed with indigenes of some Southern Ijaw communities.

    It was gathered that youths loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) caught one of the youths in Peremabiri, who reportedly confessed he was hired by the PDP.

    A source in Peremabiri, who spoke in confidence, said there was tension in the area and other parts of the council.

    “There is tension everywhere. In fact, we don’t know what the outcome of the election will be. There are signs that it will be marred by violence”, he said.

    It was, however, gathered that the council was surrounded by gunboats of the Operation Safe Conduct (OSC), a special military outfit drafted to monitor the poll, the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Following threats of violence, the NSCDC directed its operatives and officers to provide maximum security around all the oil installations in the state.

    The corps also deployed 1500 personnel to assist other security agencies in ensuring a hitch-free election.

    While deploying the operatives, the state Commandant, NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu, warned those that were sent to protect public facilities against the temptation of leaving such installations to run after politicians.

    Agu said the Commandant-General had ordered that any NSCDC operative found culpable of compromising the rules of engagement should be dismissed from service.

    He said the officers and men of the command were deployed to provide security to critical public installations during the poll.

    He named such installations as facilities of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Oil and Gas Pipeline, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    He said: “On no account should they allow themselves to be used for other activities during this supplementary election in Southern Ijaw and environs as against their primary duties of keeping surveillance and protection over facilities in their custody.

    “Anyone found to have contravened this strict order of the Commandant-General will face a stringent disciplinary action of dismissal from service

    “I am not deploying you to go and die. Don’t attach yourself to any politician. I am commending you for the job you did in the last election because the people said if not for you, things would have got out of hand.”

    The commandant warned the people of the stage against destabilizing their state, insisting that election is not a do-or-die affair.

    Also, the police command said it had beefed up security with increased foot, vehicular, and waterways patrols, as well as intensive aerial surveillance in all nooks and crannies of the state.

    A statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Asinim Butswat, asked all political parties and their contestants to desist from any act capable of disrupting the electoral process.

    The statement said: “The command in collaboration with other security agencies have synergized to create an enabling environment for the forthcoming re-run elections in Southern Ijaw LGA and other affected polling units.

    “VIPs are advised to desist from using security men to escort them to polling units on election date, as any violation to this order will not be tolerated.

    Security agencies have been ordered to enforce the restrictions of movements of boats fitted with two hundred (200) horse power engine and above, and all river craft activities in the state waterways from 7pm to 7am Friday 8th – Sunday 10th January, 2016, respectively.

    “Any person or group of persons who violates this order will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly. Likewise, movement of persons, motor vehicles and tricycles will be restricted on the Election Day in the entire state from the hours of 6am to 6pm. Only those on essential duties will be allowed to move.

    “The voters in the affected areas are advised to come out and exercise their franchise by casting their votes for candidates of their choice.”

  • APC to Dickson: don’t destroy Bayelsa with your ambition

    APC to Dickson: don’t destroy Bayelsa with your ambition

    Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday told Governor Seriake Dickson that the state is bigger than any individual’s ambition.

    The party’s State Chairman Tiwe Oruminighe, who spoke in Yenagoa, the state capital, warned Dickson against pushing his ambition to damage the state.

    He noted that patriotic leaders know when to draw a line between their ambitions and the collective interests of their states.

    Oruminighe said Dickson had shown desperation, restlessness and excessive ambition in his quest to get a second term, without considering the interests of the people.

    The party chairman said the governor initially described former militants as criminals, but later turned to the same people to help him secure a second term.

    He regretted that Dickson, who was preaching against federal might before the election, had resorted to the use of local might to allegedly rig the election.

    Oruminighe said: “The governor is full of deceits. I want Bayelsans to know that the governor is the person who will be doing something but will be shouting to deceive the people about what he is doing.”

    The APC chieftain said it was appalling that Dickson allegedly seized the airspace to incite the residents against themselves to advance his ambition.

    He added: “In the elections that took place in Ekeremor, Sagbama and Nembe, which he claimed he won, were marred by violence. A minister’s house was under fire, but the governor accused the minister. He did not talk about the safety of the minister. The governor is inciting Bayelsans against Bayelsans. He would call the chiefs and the people and incite them.

    “It is a pity that those who are supposed to act as the custodians of our traditional institutions should be part of the problem because of the money they collect.

    “The governor’s desperation is becoming too obvious and he has become so restless. He talks about people as if people do not know him in Bayelsa before.

    “Look at the way Dickson became the governor of this state – through violence. If you remember, the flag bearer of the party, who was the then the incumbent governor, was removed from office by force. It was like a military coup. Dickson, as a governor, came through the back door. That is why he is so scared. I feel that he has never contested an election before.

    “As the days go by, he becomes more desperate, saying all kinds of things…”

  • Dickson went to Aso Rock begging to defect –APC

    Dickson went to Aso Rock begging to defect –APC

    ….allegation laughable, says PDP

    The recent visit of Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to the Presidential Villa, was to beg the presidency to allow him join the All Progressives Congress (APC) to complete his second term, the ruling party has alleged.

    The APC, through the Sylva-Igiri Campaign Organisation (SICO), in a statement signed by its Director, Media and Publicity, Chief Nathan Egba, said despite reports that Dickson visited the Presidential Villa last Tuesday without invitation to beg President Muhammadu Buhari to be allowed to go for a second tenure, the state government has continued engage in denial.

    Egba further alleged that the governor, who sought to seek audience with President Muhammadu Buhari, was also denied access to meet with the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abba Kyari.

    Dickson, the APC said, was only able to meet some presidency aides.

    He said: “Our sources confirmed to us that Governor Dickson went to beg the  presidency to forgive him over his derogatory and inflammatory statements during the election and to prevail on the APC candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, to soft pedal in Southern Ijaw LGA to enable him win the forthcoming rerun election in the area.

    “In return for that favour, the governor proposed to forment an artificial  crisis in the PDP at the national level and use that as a basis to decamp from his party to the ruling APC. His argument was that he recognised the fact that Bayelsa State cannot afford to remain in opposition to the ruling party.

    “We know of a fact that this would be the second time Governor Seriake Dickson would be seeking to dump the PDP for the APC in the course of elections in the State.

    “The first time was in the heat of the National Assembly primaries of early last year when he sought to replace all serving National Assembly members from the  State with his cronies against the wishes of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who wanted the performing ones to be returned.

    “On that occasion, he openly threatened both the former President and the PDP hierarchy of his readiness to decamp to the APC  and using his past relationship with the APC National Leader, Sen. Bola Tinubu to secure tickets for his preferred candidates, as well as himself to defeat the PDP at the polls.

    “Of course he got his way in that election with Dr. Jonathan despite sponsored verbal and media attacks against the former First Lady, Dame Patience.

    “But unfortunately for Mr. Dickson, the APC unlike his party, the PDP, will not fall for such cheap antics and the officials he met with, clearly told him there was no deal. He therefore, had to return home deflated and empty handed.”

    But the PDP in a statement signed by the Director, Restoration Campaign Organisation (RCO), Jonathan Obuebite, denied the allegation.

    He said: “Governor Dickson has no reason to defect to the APC in order to win an election that had ahead been won. We call on APC to accept the fact that they had lost this election. They have not only lost, they have also been roundly rejected by the people. No amount of propaganda, lies and deceit can change the outcome of an election that had already been won by the PDP.”

  • Dickson visits Aso Rock Villa

    Ahead of the January 9 poll in Bayelsa State, Governor Seriake Dickson yesterday visited the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    Dickson is seeking re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and former Governor Timipre Sylva.

    It was not certain if the governor met with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    But the governor, who exited through the President’s Office gate, told reporters he was going to the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

  • Row in Bayelsa over Dickson’s alleged beating of council chief

    Row in Bayelsa over Dickson’s alleged beating of council chief

    •APC: denial statement issued by Government House 

    The alleged beating of the Southern Ijaw Local Government Chairman of Bayelsa State, Chief Remember Ogbe, by Governor Seriake Dickson, yesterday sparked controversies across the state.

    Dickson was accused of descending heavily on Ogbe for failing to ensure his victory at the botched governorship election in the local government on December 5 and 6.

    The election in the area, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed it defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by a landslide, was cancelled, following alleged irregularities.

    Dickson allegedly invited Ogbe to the Government House in Yenagoa and reportedly gave him a beating of his life.

    But the governor has denied assaulting Ogbe.

    A statement quoted Ogbe as debunking the reports that Dickson physically attacked him over the poll.

    The statement, which emanated from a Government House source, said Ogbe described the report of his alleged assault as wicked and malicious, adding that it was the handiwork of the APC and its governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva.

    The council chief was quoted as saying that the APC was getting more desperate in its bid to take over Bayelsa State by hook or crook.

    He reportedly expressed confidence that the PDP would win in Southern Ijaw.

    Ogbe was said to have also wondered why the APC claimed that the governor was angry for losing election in his council when there was no election at all in the first place.

    The statement said: “Southern Ijaw was riddled with violence and turned to a theatre of war by the APC. Election materials did not get to the polling units, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials were kidnapped and these were the reasons why INEC cancelled the process and fixed January 9, 2016 for the election. So, how could the governor be angry with me for not delivering?”

    But in a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation (SICO), Chief Nathan Egba, APC dared Ogbe to publicly deny the alleged assault.

    Egba said while Ogbe was still nursing his wounds, Dickson, through his Government House Press Unit, was issuing statements for the chairman.

    He said: “Our response is, therefore, simple as we are also very convinced that Chief Ogbe is a Christian.

    “If he is sure that he was not beaten by anybody, let him come out publicly to deny it on television so that cameras can show his face and other parts.

    “It is embarrassing to note that these denials were issued from the Bayelsa Government House Press Office, while Chief Remember Ogbe is still on his sick bed.”

    Egba said the Southern Ijaw Local Government chairman had not been seen in public since the incident.

    He added: “It is more than two weeks now that Chief Ogbe received the Governor’s beating. This is no lie at all and not political either, but to draw attention to the character of the man who is seeking the mandate of the people.

    “Let us recall that Governor Dickson recently met with various stakeholders from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, including the traditional rulers, chiefs, political appointees and youth groups. Chief Ogbe could not attend any of the meetings because of the injuries inflicted on him by the desperate governor.

    “For the records, the APC flag bearer, Chief Timipre Sylva, has nothing to do with the story; rather, it was the numerous eyewitnesses, including some close associates, who broke the news because of their unhappiness with the goingson in the Government House.

    “We have also promised to provide at least three eyewitnesses, who are willing to stake everything, to confirm this story.”

    Egba urged the Government House to provide a platform for the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area’s chairman to personally address reporters so that Bayelsa residents could see who was lying.

  • Dickson solicits youths’ suppport

    Dickson solicits youths’ suppport

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, at the weekend, urged youths in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area to mobilise the residents for him and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of the January 9 rerun.

    A statement by Dickson’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the governor spoke in Yenagoa, the state capital, when he hosted an enlarged meeting of community leaders.

    Dickson urged them to mobilise their people and vote massively for the PDP.

    The governor said the party won the election, despite Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) declaration that it was inconclusive.

    He expressed gratitude to the youth for their solidarity, saying his victory was not complete until the PDP won the Southern Ijaw election.

    Dickson said his party represented the interest of the Ijaw nation.

    He said: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) is afraid of defeat. That is why it decided to mar the poll with violence. But despite that, be peaceful and conduct yourselves properly during the forthcoming poll. All your leaders are behind the party.

    “In a stakeholders meeting in Abuja, all agencies of the government, including the security, INEC and others, agreed to conduct a peaceful election, without bias from any interested party, as the result will be determined by use of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC).”

    House of Assembly’s Speaker Konbowei Benson hailed the governor for addressing youths ahead of the rescheduled poll.

    He assured that Southern Ijaw would deliver its votes to the PDP, urging youths not to be deceived by the APC.

    Also, a former militant leader, Joshua Macaiva, described Dickson as a visionary leader, who scored an “A” in governance during his first term.

    The Co-ordinator of the Bayelsa Volunteer Scheme Mr. Felix Bonny Ayah praised Dickson for fulfilling his promise of incorporating youth presidents into the scheme.

  • APC accuses Dickson of victimising workers

    APC accuses Dickson of victimising workers

    •We’ll frustrate Sylva again, says PDP

    The All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, accused Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson of allegedly victimising some top civil servants and politicians suspected to be against his re-election.

    The party alleged that the governor was buying the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) of eligible voters from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and other councils ahead of the January 9 rerun.

    It said: “In his acts of desperation, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has vowed to use to deal with some top civil servants and politicians believed not to have supported him in the governorship election.”

    In a statement yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital, by the Director of Media and Publicity of the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation (SICO), Chief Nathan Egba, APC said it was disturbing that Dickson was preaching good democratic norms but at the same time muscling people to support him.

    It added: “The strategy of Governor Dickson is to throw around cash as a form of inducement to secure victory and, in the end, abandon the people again, like he has done for almost four years now.”

    The party urged Bayelsa residents not to be carried away with the cash and others it described as “Greek gifts” from the governor at this crucial period.

    APC said: “Our people should stop selling their PVCs to the governor’s agents, who are also asking for passport pictures of those whose PVCs they buy, with the promise of opening bank accounts into which monthly allowances would be paid.

    “It is quite worrisome that the governor, who is exhibiting so much desperation to win the election at all cost, is venting his anger on some top civil servants and even his fellow elected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members he suspects of supporting the APC.

    “We are aware that he has directed his hatchet man in the Treasury …to withhold December salaries of the affected civil servants and politicians, as a form of punishment.

    “We assure the affected civil servants not to worry  because the APC will restore all salaries and allowances, including severance packages of past government officials, whom Governor Dickson has refused to settle.”

    But the PDP, through the Restoration Campaign Organisation (RCO), denied the allegations.

    The party described them as a false and desperate propaganda.

    Through RCO’s Director of Publicity, Jonathan Obuebite, the PDP said the claims by the APC were vicious propaganda by Sylva to win the election by hook or crook.

    The party noted that civil servants in Bayelsa State were confident in Dickson for placing high premium on their welfare.

    It said: “Governor Dickson bluntly refused to apply for bailout but rather took the hard decision to cut down on all expenditure of government just for the sake of Bayelsa workers.

    “Sylva does not have that kind of discipline because Bayelsans know him as having run a profligate system, thereby plunging the state into huge debts to the tune of N432 billion that the Dickson government reduced to N90 billion, making the state one of the least indebted in the country.”

    On the alleged purchase of PVCs, the PDP said it was part of the propaganda by the APC.

    The party said Dickson, from the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was leading in six out of seven local government areas declared; even with all the federal might deployed by the APC to allegedly rig the election.

     

    It said: “No amount of propaganda or federal might will save APC from the humiliation of defeat, come January 9. APC knows too well that it has lost this election and the propaganda is just a way of hiding the shame of its defeat, having boasted and made so much noise.

    “Again, we join Governor Dickson to call on Sylva to honourably concede defeat and withdraw from the race. He will do well to withdraw from the race now by calling to congratulate Governor Dickson before he suffers another round of defeat and humiliation.”

     

     

     

  • Dickson to Sylva: you can’t be governor again

    Dickson to Sylva: you can’t be governor again

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, yesterday, urged the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, to forget his ambition of ruling the state again.

    The governor described Sylva as a daydreamer, adding that the people of Bayelsa had said he would no longer be their governor.

    In a statement yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital, by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor said everything he said about Sylva as a merchant of violence manifested during the last election.

    He said it was unfortunate that Sylva trivialised the judicial commission of enquiry his administration set up to probe violence in the governorship election that resulted in the deaths of some Bayelsa residents.

    Dickson said: “Describing the judicial commission of enquiry set up by my government to probe violence resulting in the deaths of Bayelsans as a kangaroo is unfortunate, and it shows how wicked and desperate he is.

    “We encourage Bayelsans to make their submissions and leave it to the commission to determine whether the panel is a kangaroo or not. If what happened on December 5 and 6, when people lost their lives and many ended up in hospitals because of the injuries they sustained from thugs, does not matter to him (Sylva), it shows the kind of person he is.

    “The world can see the difference between Dickson and Sylva; that Sylva is a violent man. It confirmed our fear that the APC and its candidate (Sylva) were not prepared for the election but a war. It is now clearer that Sylva is not a man of peace but a man of war.

    “What transpired during the APC governorship primary, where he unleashed mayhem and held a sitting governor hostage, further vindicates us that Sylva is a violent man who wants to get anything by violent means.”

  • Dickson’s panel to probe poll violence

    Dickson’s panel to probe poll violence

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, yesterday, inaugurated a six-member Judicial Commission of Enquiry to identify those behind the violence of the December 5 governorship election.

    Dickson also mandated the commission to extend its probe into all secret cult-related and extra-judicial killings in the state from 2007 to 2011.

    All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Chief Timipre Sylva was governor within the period.

    Dickson inaugurated the panel at the Executive Chamber of the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Dignitaries at the inauguration included his deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd); House of Assembly Speaker Kombowei Benson; Chairman of the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff and other government officials.

    Chief Registrar of the Customary Court of Appeal Mr. David Opokuma administered oaths of office and allegiance on members, including the Chairperson and former Acting Chief Judge Justice Margaret Akpomieme.

    The governor described the inauguration as a simple but solemn event.

    He said: “The election has come and gone; everyone is aware of the degree of violence unleashed on our people, from Brass to Ekeremor, to all local government areas.

    “All I am saying is that our government is committed, as ever, to the protection of life and property of people. It is only an irresponsible government that will have the kind of reports that we have received from our people from local and international observers and not do anything.

    “Today, some Bayelsans are receiving treatment; some of them life-threatening injuries, through no fault of theirs. Our concern is not whether the perpetrators belong to one political party or the other.

    “Our concern is that this should not have happened. Our resolve is to properly work with the commission and others to identify those who caused this and ensure that the culprits are prosecuted.

    “This government and the people are law-abiding loyal citizens. This state must not be intimidated and the people will not be intimidated by anybody.

    “This is why the government has acted under the laws and powers  to select a body of credible, non-partisans, impartial, citizens and public officers to identify what happened, identify those who caused the violence and make a recommendation to help this state, moving forward, to stamp out unnecessary disrespect for the life and property of our people.”

    Akpomieme said the panel would work only with evidence and not hearsay.