The Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has boasted that none of the 19 governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the December 5 governorship election in the state can stand him in a political debate over the election, describing them as political jobbers, traders and contractors.
He spoke on Wednesday during a live interview on radio and television conducted from his office at Government House,Yenagoa.
Among the 19 APC governorship aspirants are former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Timi Alaibe, former Governor Timipre Sylva, former Chief of Staff to Dickson, Diekivie Ikiogha, former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Japan, Emmanuel Otiotio, former senate candidate for Bayelsa Central,Preye Aganaba, former Commissioner Powell Godknows and Tonye Apreala, a female aspirant.
He said that the APC in Bayelsa was built on the foundation of violence, criminality, kidnapping and cultism.
The governor emerged the sole candidate of the People’s Democratic Party at the weekend following the disqualification of the Senator representing Bayelsa Central, Senator Emmanuel Paulker and Ebikitin Diongooli, by the screening committee of the party.
While contending that most of his opponents in the All Progressives Congress (APC), were no match for his candidature, Governor Dickson reminded Bayelsans that, they failed to use their public office to attract development to the state.
His words: “We want an election run on ideas; on vision. The APC in Bayelsa has no candidate that can match my record of service. I can’t wait for their candidate to emerge. I want to take them on, point by point. In the area of development, they should be prepared to engage the people on their record of service. All of them put together and the baggage that they all have; like failed roads in NDDC; those who started the foundation of what the NDDC is, let them debate with me on issues of development. They were running against 4 Governors at a stretch with all the combined budget of the Niger Delta States.
Commenting on his emergence as the sole candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Governor, who described the screening process as smooth, attributed his success to his achievements in office and the active roles he has played in the affairs of the party at both state and national levels.
He commended the other contenders to the party’s ticket for participating in the process and urged them to accept the verdict of the screening committee and join the already existing formidable team to work for a landslide victory for the PDP in the December poll.
“I am not surprised today that I am the candidate of my party for the general election. I have always been the presumptive candidate of my party for the general election because every incumbent is a presumptive candidate of his party for re-election particularly under the rules and regulations of the PDP. If in our party, you are running against a PDP President or Governor, you should know that you are running against the leader of your party.
“I’m delighted as the candidate of my party. I have led this party through thick and thin at very trying moments to victory in the state. And, I have played several active roles, even at the national level. Moving forward, I expect everybody to be on board. I am a consensus builder, and so we will build the right consensus and bring all players on board so that we can move as a team to what is expected to be a landslide victory for our party.”