Bayelsa Guber Race: Oshiomhole Tackles Dickson Over Remarks, Nov 16 Poll
BY EDMOND ODOK, ABUJA – National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, says the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in disarray over fears of imminent defeat in the forthcoming Bayelsa State governorship election.
Comrade Oshiomhole also accused the PDP and its supporters of desperation, noting that recent verbal attacks by Governor Seriake Dickson against APC’s gubernatorial flag-bearer, David Lyon, are acts of cowardice and clearly indicate the party is scared of defeat awaiting them at the November 16 poll.
Speaking during a peace and reconciliation meeting with Bayelsa stakeholders and aggrieved parties at the party’s National secretariat in Abuja, Oshiomhole said PDP is under threat of the positive signals that APC is already cruising to victory in the South South state.
He said having endured and seen through the unproductive leadership style of PDP, the people of Bayelsa are ready and determined to change things for better at the poll.
According to the APC National Chairman, Bayelsa has nothing concrete to show for PDP’s 20 years governance and Governor Dickson is only displaying obvious fears that the time is up for his party in the State.
The former Edo State governor, however challenged all APC stakeholders in the State to unite, shun divisive tendencies and hard work on resolving their grievances for the overall good of the party and people of Bayelsa.
Stressing the importance of a united front in delivering on the task at hand, Comrade Oshiomhole said; “If we stand together, no one can beat us and unity becomes more important as we approach the election”.
He also flayed Governor Dickson’s verbal assaults on APC’s candidate because such outbursts were unbecoming of his office as Bayelsa Chief Executive, noting that the attack on Lyon showed insecurity and lack of confidence on the part of PDP and its candidate, Senator Duoye Diri, ahead of the election.
Taunting the ruing party further, Oshiomhole said; “PDP has dominated Bayelsa politics since 1999 and I know that people want a change; they don’t want people to continuously deceive them. They want change, they want to sweep away the ugly elements of the past and bring on board a new vision that will make Bayelsa the envy of many other states.
“Let me use this opportunity to directly reply my friend, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Governor Dickson. I think he has allowed his fears; he has allowed his lack of confidence; he has allowed the imminent defeat that awaits him and his party to becloud his judgement, to use inelegant language and uncouth statement to describe a fellow citizen of Bayelsa.
“When a governor describes one of his own, purely on account of political differences, using names of terrorism and such other things and accusing a foreign company, then he has already missed it. I can understand his fears; when people who have assumed that they are the leaders of the Ijaw and they are the lions, when they see a real, authentic, organic lion, they are bound to be afraid.
“We will not come to his own level, but on this occasion, we will invoke a popular statement made by Michelle Obama. At the peak of the last presidential election in US, when she said “when they go low, we fly high”. So, when Dickson goes low, APC will fly high, we will not join him in using gutter language to describe neither his office, which we respect, nor his person, nor even their candidate who is about to be defeated.
“APC rejects and condemns in strongest terms, the raw language, unbecoming of the office of a governor, by a man I otherwise admire, Governor Dickson, the way he has described our candidate” the APC chairman said.
He told the party flag-bearer to remain focus in delivering on his campaign messages and refuse to be distracted by PDP”s antics of sustained attacks on his person, adding; “stay focused on on what the APC would do to change and improves the people’s lives for the better when elected.”
At the stakeholders’ meeting was one of the aggrieved aspirants, Mr Preye Aganaba, who is currently in court to challenge Lyon’s emergence at the party’s governorship primary election in early September.
