Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has assured that he would lead the governorship campaign of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer, Douye Diri for the November gubernatorial election.
Dickson, who stated this during a media chat in his office in Yenagoa told Bayelsans that he would also use the occasion of the campaign to thank them for their support in the 2015 governorship election.
The PDP had earlier named one of the governorship aspirants, Nimibofa Ayawei as the director-general of its governorship campaign, but the governor promised to be at every stop by the campaign train.
In the media chat which was broadcast live by some local television and radio stations, he refuted allegations that some members of his Restoration Team were defecting to other parties, saying that he faced a similar situation in 2015, but still emerged victorious.
He explained that defection was also a usual development at periods like this, asking rhetorically if stakeholders expected to see defections after the election. He stressed that they would not determine the outcome of the election.
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While describing Diri as a tried and tested candidate with the requisite experience to govern the state, he cast aspersions at the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, David Lyon, saying he lacked the education and experience to govern Bayelsa.
According to Dickson, while the PDP has a candidate, there were still questions hanging around the governorship candidate of the APC due to ongoing litigations which could deny the party’s participation in the November 16 election.
The governor deflected the question about the running mate to Diri, which has remained a contentious issue within the party, arguing that it is the prerogative of the governorship candidate to name his running mate.
On the ongoing expansion of the Isaac Boro Expressway, he said he had already signed an irrevocable standing payment order (ISPO) to Julius Berger to ensure completion of the 12-kilometre road as soon as possible.
He accused the APC of sabotaging construction efforts by sending hoodlums to dig up roads in the capital Yenagoa in a repeat of what they did to derail him in 2015 and assured that the Bayelsa International Airport would be operational within one month with the completion of the perimeter fence.
