Jonathan’s unending war with Sylva

Goodluck_Jonathan_and_Timipre_Sylva

MIKE ODIEGWU writes on the fight between President Goodluck Jonathan and the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre

MIKE ODIEGWU writes on the fight between President Goodluck Jonathan and the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, which degenerated into the level of public exchange of words last week

As the governorship election in Bayelsa State drew nearer, the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party got messier.

It was President Goodluck Jonathan who brought a fresh twist to the controversy that nearly marred the chances of the ruling party in the last Saturday’s election. The number one citizen and godfather of the PDP candidate, Mr. Seriake Dickson, gave his begotten son uncommon public advice that stirred up the hornets’ nest.

The venue was the Samson Siasia Sports Complex and the event was a rally to formally inaugurate Dickson as the candidate of the party after a long-drawn battle with Sylva. The complex was filled with party enthusiasts including members of the national leadership of PDP. It was on that day, February 3 that the state witnessed the highest presence of Abuja-based associates of Jonathan since the impasse in PDP began. It was also on that day that Jonathan attended his first event in the state since the imbroglio started.

The President was flanked by some members of the party’s National Working Committee, some of his cabinet members, two governors from the region and members of the National Assembly. The Vice-President, Namadi Sambo; Senate President, David Mark; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; Chairman of the Governor’s Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who is also the Governor of Rivers State and his counterpart from Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, were also there.

Curiously, members of the National Assembly from the state; senators from the South-South Zone who were also members of the party’s National Campaign Committee; most commissioners in the state and most members of the state House of Assembly shunned the event that brought Jonathan to the state.

Although the acting Chairman of the party, Abubakar Baraje; and the former Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustee, Mr. Tony Anenih, made subtle remarks against the deposed Sylva, Jonathan made brief and condensed statements.

The President, for the first time, spoke on the travails of Sylva and accused the former governor of failing to develop the state.

Jonathan in his speech said he refused to support the second term ambition of Sylva because of the former governor’s knack for poor performance, evident in his inability to complete existing projects. The president, who drew cheers from the crowd, was obviously angry at the performance of the sacked governor after five years in office. He pointed at some key projects which were abandoned by the former administration.

He expressed his dismay that the former governor abandoned the Tower Hotel, a five-star hotel project which was initiated by former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and designed to be the tallest building in the state. 

According to him, instead of becoming a historical monument in the state, the project has been turned into a disgraceful monument by the Sylva’s administration.

Turning to his anointed son (Dickson), he said, “You have brought people from Abuja to Yenagoa today. The only thing I want to tell you in the presence of Bayelsa State is that I was here in this place some months ago and Bayelsans stoned the governor. You must work hard to make sure that Bayelsans don’t stone you. The day I come here and Bayelsa stones you, I will follow and stone you.”

The president also gave an indication that other parties contesting against Dickson were wasting their time when he said that the candidate and his running mate, Mr. John Jonah, were unstoppable.

“You are already there and nobody can stop you,” he told Dickson, a statement that generated cheers from the crowd of party enthusiasts.

But the President’s remarks soon generated public condemnation as Sylva wasted no time to open a can of worms that almost discredited the personality of the president.

He referred to the president as a “barefaced liar.” He further wondered why the leader of the most populous country in Africa would publicly justify stone-throwing which he said was carried out by a few misguided elements.

He said Jonathan’s statement had confirmed the speculations that the President was the brain behind his travails and his disqualification from contesting the party primary on November 19, 2011.

On the hotel project, Sylva said the president’s comments were a misrepresentation of open facts. He explained that he inherited the project at the second floor and was able to raise it to the 18th floor. While acknowledging that the project had been delayed, he blamed the development on the contractor that Jonathan chose to handle the project. He further said the project was stalled when the contractor demanded N5bn variation and challenged the president to disclose how much he paid to the contractor before he (Sylva) inherited the project.

He added, “The stoning in Yenagoa happened during the president’s visit and it was widely believed to have been arranged by a few misguided elements with the backing of Mr. President; he used the presidential security to subvert the security of the state on purpose to embarrass Governor Sylva.

“Now, if stoning is a yardstick for non-performance, are we also right to say that the burning down of Mr. President’s house in 2007, in the run-up to that year’s general elections, was also an act of rejection by the people of the state? A lot of people believed that the burning of his house and the action of militants in 2007 were an expression of rejection. Is Mr. President now confirming that wide belief? In addition, can we also say that the stoning of president Jonathan in May last year in Uganda was a global act of rejection?”

Away from the verbal war between Jonathan and Sylva, other political parties and public commentators further criticised the President over his comments on the election.

The Change Advocacy Party, one of the major contending parties described Jonathan comments as “undemocratic.”

Jeremiah Owoupele, the Political Assistant to CAP governorship candidate, Mr. Imoru Kubor, said it was disheartening for the President to say that nothing would stop PDP from winning the election.

He said the statement was unexpected from Jonathan who had promised Nigerians free and fair election.

“A few days ago, the president visited Yenagoa for a rally. This is a very serious issue. The president said nobody can stop Dickson. This is a very deep and pregnant statement. I am asking the president to explain to Nigerians what he meant by that statement.

“Does it mean the president is telling the people to rig this election for Dickson? Does it mean the president cannot be a democrat and tolerate the opposition? Does it equally mean that the president cannot allow for a free and fair poll where every eligible Bayelsa person who is 18 years and above will vote according to his or her conscience and allow his vote to count? Does it mean that by the assertion of the president that everybody in Bayelsa State must belong to the PDP?”

Also, Mr. Kemela Okara, a Lagos lawyer, who is the governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria in an interview, said the people of Bayelsa would determine who their next governor would be and not the president.

“When it comes down to voting, the president himself would very much tell the whole world that democracy is about voting who you want. He would campaign for his candidate, but the Bayelsans would have to decide for themselves who is the best candidate.”