Ahead of the forthcoming by-election for the vacant seat in Bayelsa West Senatorial District, members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, seem unprepared to confront the immediate-past Governor of the State, Seriake Dickson, who may fly the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the election.
The Senatorial seats in Bayelsa West and Central Senatorial Districts were declared vacant, following the swearing-in of the former occupants, Senator Douye Diri and Lawrence Ehwrudjakpo, as Governor and Deputy Governor of the State, respectively.
Some well-known members of the APC in the District, have reportedly pitched tent with the former Governor, who is an Aspirant on the PDP platform.
A Chieftain of APC in the State, Chief Perekeme Kpodoh, had recently predicted that Dickson would win the forthcoming Bayelsa West Senatorial District by-election in the State, if he runs under the PDP, due to his achievements in the District when he was Governor.
Kpodoh, a founding member of the APC in the State, said that no Politician of the APC in the District could stand the popularity of Dickson, coupled with the internal wrangling in the party’s Leadership in the District.
He based his optimism on Dickson’s performance as Governor for eight years, adding that, the Senatorial District would accordingly reward him with the Senate seat.
Also, some prominent Ijaw Leaders, including Alhaji Asari Dokubo, and Chieftains of both Ijaw National Congress, INC, and Ijaw Youths Congress, IYC, have endorsed the immediate past Governor as their Candidate for the forthcoming Bayelsa West Senatorial by-election.
This endorsement by the pan-Ijaw socio-political group cuts across party divides, and is said to be informed by the need of the Ijaw nation to send their best to represent them at the national level.
Rising from a meeting in Yenagoa, the State capital, the group, under the aegis of Patriots of the Ijaw Struggle, said that it is not only impressing it upon Dickson to contest the seat vacated by the new Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrujakpo, but also calling on all Bayelsans and those who have the interest of the Ijaw nation at heart, to support and massively vote for the candidacy of the former Governor, as he is clearly the best man for the job.
In a communiqué jointly signed by Chief Frank Omare, and 4 other past Presidents of the IYC, including Asari Dokubo, the Leaders stated that they had “X-rayed the many Aspirants who have indicated their interest to represent Bayelsa West Senatorial District, and have taken the pain to evaluate each and every one of them, their background, educational qualifications, and political persuasions, as well as their “belief in our undying Ijaw struggle”, and arrived at the conclusion that Dickson is the most qualified to represent both the Senatorial zone and the Ijaw nation at this point.
The communiqué noted that what places Dickson head and shoulders above other Aspirants, is not only because he has experience as a former Member of the House of Representatives, but also his sterling performance as a two-term Governor of the State.