If prophets descended raw
from Heaven and told Nigerians, and particularly the Bayelsans that Bayelsa
State would be overrun by the opposition political party in the State, the All
Progressives Congress, in the November 16, 2019, gubernatorial elections, no one would readily believe. What happened in 2015 when
the then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was summarily
dislodged by the All Peoples Congress in the presidential elections was
replicated in Bayelsa state after twenty years of PDP’s holding forth in that State. Coincidentally
or is it by fate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan former Nigerian President was involved
in both events either actively or passively.
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is
from Bayelsa State; a strong PDP State since 1999 when democracy was restored
to Nigeria. He has been in that party for the past twenty years. It was on this
political party that he became the President of Nigeria in 2011. But since
2015, the APC has been ruling at the national level following the defeat of
then-President Goodluck Jonathan in the general elections held that year. In 2019,
Bayelsa State, the home State of Jonathan has fallen into the hands of the APC as
well. So he is primarily breathing in the APC political air wherever he goes in
Nigeria, even right in his own state.
On Saturday, November 16,
2019, there was an election in Kogi and Bayelsa States of Nigeria for
gubernatorial seats. Both States were won by the APC. More mesmerizing was the
defeat of the PDP in Bayelsa State. Kogi
State was hotly contested with all intrigues and alleged violence involved.
Summarily, the APC won in Kogi State. The defeat of the PDP in Bayelsa State
was more surprising.
The incumbent Governor,
Mr. Seriake Henry Dickson’s name will go down memory lane on how in his time
PDP in Bayelsa State fell into the hands of the opposition party just as Dr.
Goodluck Jonathan’s name has already been engraved to history as the first
civilian President to be defeated by an opposition party in Nigeria’s political
history. It was learnt that Bayelsa PDP fell primarily because of the internal wrangling
occasioned by the alleged acidic selfishness of the incumbent Governor who like
his political counterparts around the country was eyeing the Senatorial seat
after he has left office. And that he wanted to single-handedly pick his
successor, Duoye Diri, to occupy the
Government seat. This selfishness did not obviously go down well with most
party leaders.
The stance of the
Governor prompted the visit of two former Presidents of the country. They were Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan; both former Presidents were
produced by the PDP. They visited Seriake Dickson possibly to convince him to
drop or adjust his suicidal plans. The Governor allegedly rebuffed the visit of
these wise men. The consequence was the
summary defeat of the Governor and his party and the consequent victory of the
opposition
Before the elections, the
mother of Dr. Jonathan prayed for the APC candidate, David Lyon. Dr. Jonathan
was said to have also told Bayelsans to vote for the candidate of their choice
since both candidates of the APC and the PDP were all his ‘children’. This was
a subtle way of not endorsing the candidate of the PDP, Duoye Diri. Before the Election
Day, it was seen that the APC candidate, Lyon, who is now the Governor-elect
was seen in the house of Dr. Jonathan, portending to the fact that the former President
has thrown his political weight behind him. In all these, the incumbent
Dickson remained irredeemably adamant to all known realities of the possible
outcome of the Bayelsa elections. He stuck to his guns like the characteristic
Nigerian politicians whose lives are consumed by deadly selfishness. Dickson did
not care what the consequences of his actions would cost him and the entire
party. Rather than concede personal
egotism, he placed his party on the slaughter slab for deliberate butchering. And
butchering they did actually!
Now that the ruling party
has lost its ground to the opposition in Bayelsa State, some have begun to
point to Dr. Jonathan that he was the one that planned the civilian coup that
ousted the PDP in Bayelsa State. I personally disagree with this submission.
Jonathan visited Dickson; he humbled himself and respected the office of the
Governor by the visit. I am not personally surprised because Jonathan has been
known for his humility. The two former presidents tried to remove the log of
wood from Seriake’s eyes. But the Governor ordered for more superglue to fasten
the bolts of his glaucoma as precipitated by his suicidal selfishness. If Jonathan’s
mother prayed for Lyon, she has a right to do so as an elder, a mother, a mother
of a national figure. Dickson downplayed
the power of Elders. Many may have been seriously aggrieved for his rebuffing
the visits of the former Presidents and hiss grand design to outwit the
entire state. This, therefore, led to a protest vote by the Bayelsans. If PDP had won, it could have been compared
with the elongation of the hitherto political dynasty of the Sarakis in Kwara
State; but the Bayelsans are not Kwarans The best way to treat pride and
obstinacy is to puncture the tube of their survival.
Dr. Jonathan should be
left alone; for he is not a civilian coup plotter. All blame should be heaped
firmly on the head of Seriake Dickson and all the sycophants who urged him on in
his selfishness, as he wanted to turn Bayelsa into his personal estate. I would
also want the Nigerian electorates to learn from the people of Bayelsa State
that they are well informed and no-nonsense people. It is a big lesson to the
greedy; and also to the electorates that in sane climes, sovereignty belongs to
the electorates (the People) in a democracy. True leaders are actually
followers and not the other way round. Through the instrumentality of the
ballot, we should sack any disgraceful and aberrant, self-conceited leaders.
Partyism should settle as second fiddles in dealing with political deviants. We
should settle for those ready to dispense the dividends of democracy as we
elect leaders into political offices.
Finally, if anyone has any
grievance against Jonathan concerning the alleged Malabu Oil deal, he should petition
the EFCC. As for Bayelsa State, the APC will rule there for a long time.
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