Oshiomhole chides Bayelsa governor over criticism of party’s candidate

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomole, has criticised the governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, accusing him of “inelegant language” against his party’s governorship candidate.

He also accused the governor of poor management of resources allocated to the state by the federal government over the years.

The Bayelsa governor recently reportedly accused the oil companies in the state of “outsourcing terrorism” to David Lyon, the APC candidate, ”by awarding him pipeline security and surveillance contracts”.

“We can’t imagine that after I have raised the bar this high then this militant, almost an illiterate, will attempt to take over Bayelsa State. What they have done is to outsource terrorism to the so-called candidate of the APC, Chief David Lyon, and I think in the next couple of days when you see some images you will be appalled,” he was quoted by ThisDay as saying.

“What has happened is that the oil companies are giving surveillance contracts to these young boys most of who are outlaws that they are creating, and I have said it several times that they are working towards having a Mafia-like hold in our communities, particularly in Bayelsa State,” Mr Dickson said.

Irate APC chairman

Mr Oshiomhole met on Thursday with the APC governorship candidate, David Lyon, and some other dignitaries from Bayelsa chapter of the party at the party’s national secretariat.

Before the journalists were asked to leave the meeting, the party chairman said the gathering of the party factions was to strategise ahead of the forthcoming election so as to ensure the “imminent defeat” of the opposition in the state.

“I am happy that the factions have agreed to come today to talk which implies the level commitment to peace-building, peace-making and working towards unity.

“APC has been in the opposition for a long time. Put differently, the PDP has dominated Bayelsa politics since 1999. Like every team, people want a change and they don’t want people to continuously deceive the people of Bayelsa. They want to sweep away the ugly element of the past and bring on board a new vision that will make Bayelsa the envy of other states.

“Our responsibility is to talk through all of these things and see what role is there for us to play in this process so that together we can face November 16 election as a united party,” he said.

Attack

Mr Oshiomhole said the governor’s allegations against APC candidate in the state was borne out of the fear of his PDP candidate’s imminent defeat in the coming governorship election.

“I think he has allowed his fears and lack of self-confidence; the fear of his imminent defeat of him and his party to overcloud his sense of judgement as he results to using inelegance language and uncalled statements to describe his fellow citizen of Bayelsa,” he said.

Mr Oshiomhole further said the APC will not “join him (Dickson) in using gutter language to describe his office which we respect; his person which we respect; or even their candidate which is bound to be defeated.

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“We believe our candidate is better than his candidate and we know we will present more popular people that will ensure people-oriented governance. We will not go low as he has chosen to go,” he added.

He said the governor, who had at a point declared that “Bayelsa has the least pipelines vandalism compared to other states” now was now discrediting Mr Lyon ”who is responsible for securing those pipelines through the people the employed”.

Also commenting on the selection of Douye Diri as the PDP candidate in the state and the process of his emergence, Mr Oshiomhole said the PDP governor had “the opportunity to choose a better proxy than the one he settles for and the manner he acquired it.”

“We are aware that it was the highest bidder and he bought as many delegates as he could buy.

“You can buy the delegates but you cannot buy the conscience of the electorate of Bayelsa State, and the defeat that awaits them they cannot escape from it,” he said.