A former Governor of Bayelsa
State, Timipre Sylva, and a former Nigerian Ambassador to Japan, Emmanuel
Otiotio, on Monday submitted their expression of interest and nomination forms
for the forthcoming All Progressives Congress governorship primaries.
They became the last set of
aspirants to submit their forms at the party’s National Secretariat.
After submitting his forms, Sylva
told journalists that he is in the race to salvage the state and complete the
good work he started but was not allowed to complete before he was forced out
by a combination of forces from within and outside the state.
He accused the incumbent governor
of the state, Seriake Dickson, of abandoning most of the projects he executed
when he was the governor.
Sylva said, “As of 2012, we were
poised to celebrate in 2013 one year of uninterrupted power supply in Yenogoa
city. I had installed turbans and there was a turban that was 93 per cent
complete when I was ousted. The outgoing government refused to inaugurate it
because they did not want me to take the credit for it.
“I built a hospital that would
have been one of the best in Nigeria and was to be inaugurated in May 2012. The
outgoing government has refused to go near that hospital since I was ousted.
“There are a lot of projects that
I embarked upon which were deliberately abandoned on the altar of politics. We
were to inaugurate the Bayelsa State Library, but today, that project has been
overgrown by weeds because somebody wants to mislead Nigerians.”
He expressed sadness kidnapping
which was a thing of the past during his rule has staged a comeback under the
watch of the current administration.
On his part, Otiotio said his
decision to join the race was taken because he was prepared for the job and
that the people of the state deserve a leader like him who will bring to bear
integrity in running the affairs of the state.
He explained that among his
credentials is the fact that he is a born again Christian who is prepared to
govern the state with the fear of God.
Otiotio dismissed insinuations
that he was acting out a script of one of the aspirants who allegedly paid for
his nomination forms.
According to him, it is
uncharitable for anyone to suggest that he is being sponsored by another
aspirant.
Meanwhile, 12 aspirants have bought
the forms valued at N6.5m to participate in the internal election of the party
to select the party’s candidate for the December 5 governorship election.
Other aspirants are a former
Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Timi Alaibe;
ex-Chief of Staff, Bayelsa Government House, Chief Dikivie Ikiogha, and former
two-time member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Warman Ogoriba.
Others are former senatorial
aspirant, Preye Aganaba; Ambassador Felix Oboro, Powell Godknows, Kpolovie
Obhoo, Christopher Enai, Romeo Bekeyai, Tonye Apirila, Ebitimi Amgbare and Fred
Ekiegha.
Copyright PUNCH.
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