The night before December 5, 2015, fear - wild fear - stalked the land. The myriad of creeks fared no better. Even the magisterial home of the first Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, former ranking Senator (Bayelsa West) and now Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (State) in Ekeremor came under what best qualifies as mock artillery firepower. The world saw real evidence as journalists took Lokpobiri Heineken on the narrative. Hell was let loose elsewhere in Bayelsa. Nembe, Brass, Southern Ijaw... It was a cocktail of electoral malfeasance! Yet Baritor Kpagih, the Ogoni-born Bayelsa REC, found only Southern Ijaw results as a charade unworthy of his seal. That result gave Timipre Sylva an unassailable grounds for claiming victory at his 2nd attempt to lead the State after his 1st term as Governor got a bloody nose, no thanks to President GEJ who was then Lord of the Manor at Aso Rock. Verdict: inconclusive elections! Enter January 9, 2016 and Part 2 of the most bitter and bizarre political battle for the soul of Bayelsa teed-off. Again, evidence of violence, intrigues were awash at the re-match in the battleground Southern Ijaw and 101 polling units elsewhere. But alas, a result has been declared and a winner emerged. Conclusion:
1. Seriake Dickson won Southern Ijaw amidst clear controversies of cancellation of results wherever the APC "won". In Ekeremor, Brass and Nembe too! And so Seriake Dickson retains Creek Haven for another four years, subject to the outcome of the Tribunals which is the next phase of the electoral process under our laws.
2. The PDP has taken her bragging rights to the field all night and far into the next Dickson term, I guess.
3. President Buhari has escaped sore tongue-lash from the PDP and those who believe, for reasons only they can fathom, that deploying sufficient security agencies to safeguard lives and property in the notoriously volatile Bayelsa environment was a statement of intent by Mr. President to "seize" Ijaw territory for his APC. Now, the narrative has changed to the will and resolute determination of the Bayelsa people to resist federal might as grounds for the victory in their hands. Funny isn't it that the same folks pretend not to know that this President was indifferent to the processes in their State as he did in Kogi from selection of candidates, through attending campaigns to personally taking control of the personnel management of the INEC in the conduct of the elections.
So GEJ "concludes" the cycle of revenge having returned Nyesom Wike in Rivers State and now Seriake Dickson in Bayelsa - by all means - against the interests of his worst political nightmare: Rotimi Amaechi and Timipre Sylva.
Let the chronicles of the epic story of people, parties and their strongholds in Nigeria's 4th Republic continue.
- Sogbeye Eli
