Socio-cultural group, Bayelsa
Development Forum, has disagreed sharply with socio-political group, Bayelsa
Democracy and Development Initiative, over Governor Seriake Dickson’s electoral
value.
The BDDI had warned the Peoples
Democratic Party against fielding Dickson in the December 5 governorship
election.
The group said the party would
fail woefully if it allowed the governor to be its standard bearer for the
poll.
But an elder statesman, founder
of the PDP and member of BDF, Chief Thompson Okorotie, said Dickson remained
the best foot of the party for the election.
The BDDI, coordinated by former
Chief Press Secretary to former President Goodluck Jonathan while he was
governor in Bayelsa, Dr. Konrad Welson, said based on a field research
conducted by the group, Dickson lacked a re-election value.
According to him, before coming
out with the verdict, the group interacted with people from the urban and rural
areas of the state involving men, women, students, workers, professional bodies
and youths.
Welson said, “We conducted a
field research and survey with the findings showing that a good percentage of
people of the state are not favourably disposed to the re-election bid of the
state governor.
“The state of affairs is as a
result of what the people perceive as failure to live up to the expectations of
the people in electing him (Dickson) in 2011, coupled with his hostile and
divisive leadership style and that being the flag bearer of the PDP, may lead
to the loss of the party in the state.”
He claimed that the group’s
interface with the political class and civil society organisations in the last
three months revealed deep seated disdain and disappointment in the quality of
leadership offered by Dickson.
He said Dickson’s leadership
style caused acrimony in the PDP and the inability of the state government to
offer basic amenities such as roads, hospitals and potable water after three and a half years in the saddle.
He advised the political class in
the state and the entire civil society to work collaboratively in electing the
best person as a way of achieving social justice and good governance in the
state.
But Okorotie, said the governor
was very much electable, describing him as the best foot of the PDP for the
election.
Okorotie said, “First, he has
performed creditably, comparatively with any other governor that has ever ruled
here. What he did in three and a half years in the state is history. What has
slowed project down is purely a function of economic downturn.
“You can only develop with money
that you have, especially when you are running a government of prudence, moreso
when you are running a government that is not corrupt.
“He has credibility. Apart from
that, he is going into areas other governors did not have the courage to go
into. For example, the three senatorial roads, they are federal roads, but he
has gone to them.
Road has gone to Nembe. Road is
approaching Oporoma.”
Meanwhile, a Coalition of Civil
Society Groups in the state has slammed Dickson over the presentation of N46m
for the payment of stipends and allowances to the members of the local security
outfit, Bayelsa Security Volunteers.
The group said such funding was a
waste and payment for the planned violence against the people during the forthcoming election.
The group, led by Mr. Bright
Igrubia, said though a four-year youth empowerment and mobilization plan was
presented to the administration of Dickson, the establishment of the Bayelsa
Volunteer and the presentation of funds was not part of the plan.
Credit: Punch
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