According to Daily Sun, the re-election bid of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, received a major boost with his endorsement by former president, Goodluck Jonathan; former governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, and the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP).
This is coming on the heels of Senator Paulker Emmanuel challenging Dickson for the governorship ticket in December.
Jonathan, who spoke at a PDP stakeholders meeting held at the Government House in Yenagoa, yesterday, stated that contrary to speculations, the PDP, which has been in control of the state since its inception in 1999, still has what it takes to win the forthcoming governorship election convincingly.
He said though some members of the party defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), the PDP family would not lose sleep over the development as it remains united and strong in its resolve to clinch victory in the December 5 governorship poll.
Daily Sun reports that the former President, however, appealed to the defectors to retrace their steps and come back to the PDP, where there is consensus building.
Jonathan, who likened the current build- up to the December 5 governorship election to what happened in 2003, when Alamieyeseigha was seeking re-election, expressed optimism that PDP would win the election.
He said: “We are here because what is happening in Bayelsa State now, is similar to what happened in the state in 2003, when my boss then, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, was to contest his second tenure. A number of people went to Abuja and threw up all kinds of stories.
“People may go to Abuja and say all kinds of things, but the PDP in Bayelsa is very strong.
“Also speaking, the National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, who was joined by the former chairman of the Board of Trustees ( BOT), Chief Tony Anenih, stated that the reality on ground clearly showed that the present administration was doing well in the state.
Meanwhile, Paulker, a three-term senator representing Bayelsa Central submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to the national headquarters of the party in Abuja yesterday. Aside Governor Dickson, Senator Paulker is the only known political figure in the state to have shown interest in the PDP ticket.
Speaking with newsmen thereafter, Paulker stated that he has very good chance of wresting the PDP governorship ticket from Dickson even though he is a sitting governor, adding: “The race is quite open and the will of party members is supreme in deciding who ultimately gets the party’s ticket for the contest.”
