Bayelsa guber: Dickson’s aides dump PDP as Sylva begins campaign

• November 17, 2015

Chief Timipre Sylva

No fewer than 2,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party including some aides of Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, and members of the State Working Committee of the PDP have defected to the All Progressives Congress.
Dickson’s aides and the PDP supporters declared their support for the APC on Monday during the campaign of the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva.
The three members of the SWC of the PDP that abandoned the party are the assistant secretary, Ben Oliver; assistant organising secretary, Miriam Kingsley; and an ex-officio member, Diepreye Alaga.
The special advisers to Dickson that jumped unto the APC train on Monday were Oberiaghakuma Yossou and Ayobeya James.
The defectors were received by the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and the party’s candidate, Sylva.
Other party members present at the campaign were a former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa; a former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Segun Oni; Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and a former acting Governor of Bayelsa, Chief Nestor Binabo.
Others were the state Chairman of the APC, Mr. Tiwei Oruminighe; National Organising Secretary of the APC, Senator Osita Izinaso; a former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Warman Ogoriba; among other party leaders.
As early as 7am, the party’s supporters from across the state thronged the sleepy town of Sagbama to give a rousing welcome to Sylva and other leaders of the party.
Odigie-Oyegun, who presented the flag of the party to Sylva, urged the people of the state to embrace change.
He said it was only the APC that could guarantee progress for the state.
The APC national chairman said the huge crowd that witnessed the campaign indicated that the APC had no rival in the state.
In his remarks, Sylva said the victory train of the APC was on the move and he enjoined the people of Bayelsa to embrace change which the party represented.
He urged the crowd to observe a minute silence each for a former governor of the state, the late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and a former chieftain of the APC, the late Col. Sam Inokoba (retd.).
Sylva said, “A new day is dawning over Bayelsa State. I want to assure you that I am now readier than before to govern you.
“I equally want to assure you that I will not use your money to marry more wives as some people are doing. I will also promise not to take another man’s wife. All those will go with the PDP administration.”
Sylva promised to create employment opportunities for the youth and an enabling environment for investors, whom he urged to come and invest in the power sector of the state.
He lamented the challenges of insecurity in the state in the last four years.