Bayelsa 2023: Sylva and APC’s many rivers to cross

A few weeks ago, the media was abuzz with reports about Chief Timipre Sylva throwing his traditional bowler hat into the ring to contest the governorship election in Bayelsa State scheduled to hold on November 11. The news about his expression of interest to contest the governorship election generated a lot of controversies.

First, Sylva kept everyone in the dark about his intention, as he purchased the governorship form by proxy. A Committee of Friends bought the form for him, the way he coughed out N100 million to purchase the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential form last year. However, Sylva declined to submit the presidential form which made many people to believe and jokingly say the form was kept under his pillow.

The pain is that the N100 million could be used to take care of many of his political followers back home groaning and wallowing in abject poverty. Those familiar with Sylva and his general history of controversy in the political arena have not forgotten his failed attempt to contest the national chairmanship of the APC against Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in 2014. Sylva eventually stepped down on his own when he saw the writing on the wall and with Odigie-Oyegun coasting home to victory.

Since Sylva indicated his intention to contest the governorship election in Bayelsa State, mixed reactions, shock and disbelief have trailed his ambition. Those who are shocked have asked many questions which are begging for answer such as, what did Sylva forget in Creek Haven, the official name for Bayelsa State Government House? This question is coming on the heels of a video in circulation where Sylva, during an interview with a Yenagoa based private radio station, vowed never to contest again the office of the governor of Bayelsa State.

His sudden change of mind has put a huge moral burden on him which may eventually work against the APC at the election, if the national leadership of the party allows him to fly the party’s flag.

This is what a political pundit from Bayelsa State, Mr. Ebitimi Koroye, said, “Sylva told Bayelsans in a live radio interview which I personally listened and monitored in Yenagoa and he emphatically said that the chapter of his life to contest governorship election had closed, promising that he would bring someone else who is credible to contest and win. Today Bayelsans are surprised to see him indicating his intention to contest.

This is a hilarious ambition taken too far. Bayelsa people are not fools. I don’t know what he takes Bayelsa people for. Fools? Bayelsans will teach APC a lesson if they make the mistake to field him as the standard bearer of the party”.

Meanwhile, another hurdle which stands against APC in winning the November governorship election is the factionalisation of the party where the centre cannot hold. Interestingly, the factionalisation of the party is happening under the watch and supervision of Sylva, regarded as the leader of the party by virtue of the party’s Constitution and also being a former governor of the state.

Many critical stakeholders in Bayelsa APC are uncomfortable with his leadership style, as nobody trusts the other person. This is where the national leadership of APC needs to intervene by allowing the voice of reason to prevail, instead of allowing an individual’s ambition to destroy the collective destiny of a party and its chances in the forthcoming governorship election. Just like the biblical injunction which states that “a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand”.

The hard lesson of the crisis which rocked the PDP in the last presidential election is still fresh in our memory, where one man’s ambition destroyed the larger interest of the party. This is what APC must avoid in the emerging worries about Sylva’s ambition.

He has to convince his followers that whatever he says, he does it. During the 2015 governorship election, Sylva told several of his followers that he would not contest which prompted some of his foot soldiers to purchase the governorship form, assuring some of them of his support only to go ahead and contest. What followed was that he failed woefully, as he managed to win only his LGA out of the eight LGAs that make up the state.

The recent general elections were not properly handled by him too. The dust raised during the primary elections of the party did not settle before the general polls were conducted and the result was the poor performance of the APC.

According to sources in the party in the state, Sylva had convened a meeting of critical stakeholders prior to the primary elections, to come up with a modality for the conduct. The meeting, which was presided over by him, generally agreed to pick only candidates that could win election for the party by constituting committees in various constituencies where consensus candidates were selected by stakeholders of the various constituencies and forwarded same to Sylva.

But to the surprise of all, the process that produced credible and collective choice of the people was discarded. Unpopular candidates were imposed. The impact of this was not only devastating but caused unimaginable disenchantment which led to massive and humiliating loss at the National Assembly and House of Assembly election in the state. APC lost all the senatorial seats, House of Representatives and just managed to secure insignificant three seats out of twenty four seats in the House of Assembly. The mother of all grievances, which vast majority of Bayelsans holds against Sylva cutting across party lines, is the fate that befell Chief David Lyon and Senator Deyi Eremieyon in the 2019 governorship election.

Many people believe that the running mate to Lyon, Degi, was nominated by Sylva and Sylva could not feign ignorance of the legal encumbrances against Degi. He was accused of not conducting due diligence on Degi before he was made the running mate to Lyon. According to impeccable sources, even when few persons saw the danger ahead and drew Sylva’s attention to the issue, it was simply dismissed with a wave of the hand and everything was taken for granted. The Supreme Court simply nullified the election 24 hours before the swearing-in.

Today, Lyon is the biggest loser and he is still nursing the wound of having wasted his hard-earned resources in that election. Lyon has not been considered for any national appointment to comfort him. A greater percentage of party faithful are of the strong view that this is the right time for the national leadership of the APC to compensate Lyon with the party ticket, an idea that is very popular in the rank and file of party faithful across the state which is not out of place. After all, Lyon has paid his dues in funding and keeping the party alive.

Bayelsans have also not forgotten how security matters were treated during Sylva’s tenure as governor. The setting up of a security outfit code-named ‘Operation Funtangbe’ left emotional scars on the minds of the people. The group became so notorious that the Federal Government was constrained to intervene through the then-Inspector General of Police to disband the security outfit to save Bayelsa from becoming a Banana Republic.

A stalwart of APC in Bayelsa, Kalizibe Favour, said: “Who is deceiving Timipre Sylva to contest? He should step down to remain a kingmaker and concede the right of first refusal to David Lyon.

“The political reality on the ground is that he is going to lose and drown woefully, worse than that of the 2015 governorship election if the bulldozes his way to become the standard bearer.”

Sadly, since Sylva indicated his intention to run, APC members have been leaving the party in large numbers for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. If the national leadership of the APC fails to address this issue and calls Sylva to order, it is as good as saying goodbye to APC in Bayelsa State. The general view in the landscape of Bayelsa is that Sylva’s candidacy is an ill wind for the APC in the epic battle for Creek Haven.

In light of the above, one does not need a prophet to decipher the writing on the wall, that fielding Sylva in the ballot in the forthcoming governorship election will not only mark the final screw of the nail into the coffin of the APC and its funeral rites but will also constitute the proverbial many rivers for the party to cross. A stitch in time saves nine.

• Adams, a political analyst, lives in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.