As the competition intensifies for the gubernatorial position in Bayelsa State, the baggage carried by the deputy governorship candidate might emerge as a significant burden on Chief Timipre Sylva.
The contest for control over Creek Haven Government House in Yenagoa is heating up. The two primary contenders for the highly sought-after position are the incumbent Governor, Senator Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Minister of State for Petroleum Affairs, Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Recent events within the state have positioned Diri ahead of his rival due to the challenges facing Sylva, not only within his party but also within his close associates. These issues have come to the forefront as key loyalists openly oppose him, creating a devastating rupture.
If the intention was to embarrass Sylva, it has undoubtedly achieved its purpose with remarkable effectiveness. His own son and political protégé, Mr. Israel Sunny-Goli, a former member of the House of Representatives, called a press conference to deliver a stark assessment of the upcoming November 11 governorship election. In front of a packed audience, Sunny-Goli confidently stated that if the election were to be held today, Sylva would lose. He lauded Governor Douye Diri for demonstrating his competence and effectiveness through an unprecedented level of development over the past few years. He emphasized that in a hypothetical election held at present, Diri would likely secure over 80 percent of the votes. This unvarnished evaluation laid bare the harsh political reality in the state.
The impact of Sunny-Goli’s assessment was particularly profound not just due to his familial ties to Sylva, but also because he possessed a deep understanding of the state’s political landscape. Having served two terms in the state House of Assembly and two terms in the Federal House of Representatives, Sunny-Goli’s experience lent weight to his assessment.
Life often imparts lessons through experience, revealing new insights and understanding. Yet, not every lesson is transformative. In Sylva’s case, however, this lesson carries far-reaching consequences.
As recently as 2019, Mr. David Lyon’s election was nullified by the Supreme Court due to issues involving his deputy governorship candidate’s name and credentials. Many believed that Sylva, who was involved in Lyon’s candidacy, couldn’t have been oblivious to the legal challenges surrounding the deputy governorship nominee, Senator Degi. Sylva faced accusations of neglecting due diligence regarding Degi’s background prior to selecting him as Lyon’s running mate. Despite warnings from some quarters about the impending risks, Sylva seemingly brushed them aside. The Supreme Court’s ruling came just 24 hours before the inauguration, casting a shadow of doubt over Sylva’s role and intentions. Many loyalists within his party accused him of setting Lyon up for failure.
Today, David Lyon remains the most affected by this ordeal, nursing the wounds of wasted resources expended during the election campaign. Lyon’s aspirations for national appointments have gone unfulfilled, leaving him with a sense of loss and unfulfilled potential.
They say lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, but Sylva might be an exception to this adage. History seems poised to repeat itself as Sylva, now the APC’s gubernatorial candidate, has made a controversial choice for his running mate: Mr. Joshua Maciver, a figure previously accused of jailbreak. Critics argue that this decision echoes Sylva’s earlier missteps, resembling a pattern of setting himself up for failure, akin to what transpired with Lyon.
In the minds of many Bayelsans, Maciver is primarily remembered for his brutal actions during the Niger Delta militancy between 1999 and 2007. He was subsequently arrested and handed a 10-year prison sentence for murder. For the state’s populace, Maciver’s past convictions and alleged escape from prison disqualify him from running in the upcoming election on November 11th. A civil society group known as the Coalition for Social Justice and Equity Initiative (CSJEI) has initiated legal proceedings, challenging the eligibility of the APC’s deputy gubernatorial candidate. The coalition argues that placing an individual with such a criminal record in a high-ranking government position poses security risks to both the state and the nation.
CSJEI contends that the moral and security burdens associated with this choice are too great for the state to bear, particularly during this critical phase of its history.
According to the coalition, Maciver was convicted by a court of law and sentenced to a decade of imprisonment for murder and terrorism, a sentence he allegedly evaded through a purported illness and subsequent escape. The group also asserts that despite being a declared fugitive by the Ministry of Interior, Maciver rejected the Presidential Amnesty Program (PAP) during the Niger Delta militancy, fearing it was a covert operation to apprehend him and others.
The coalition further alleges that Maciver forged federal government documents, including a Presidential Amnesty identification card issued in August 2009. This was during a period when President Musa Yar’Adua granted amnesty to Niger Delta militants. However, the coalition distinguishes between amnesty and pardon, asserting that Maciver’s conviction was unrelated to the nature of political offenses that amnesty traditionally addresses.
The group maintains that Chief Timipre Sylva knowingly presented Maciver, a figure with a controversial past, as his deputy gubernatorial candidate.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Amnesty office under the leadership of Maj Gen Barry Tariye Ndiomu (rtd.) has disclaimed Joshua Maciver, asserting that he was not a “beneficiary of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s pardon in 2009.”
With the series of crises surrounding the APC’s gubernatorial candidate and his chosen deputy, and with the election just three months away, the prospect of Sylva contesting the election with Maciver seems uncertain.
For the majority of Bayelsans, Governor Douye Diri faces little opposition, and if the election were held today, he would likely emerge as the victor.
