2015: Presidency, senators’ deal sparks fresh crisis in Bayelsa

The recent deal be­tween the Presidency and members of the National Assembly over the 2015 general elec­tion has generated fresh cri­sis in Bayelsa State.

Daily Sun learnt that the state governor, Hon Seriake Dickson has vowed to stop all National Assembly mem­bers as well as state lawmak­ers from seeking re-election in 2015. The governor’s resolve is coming just as the Presi­dency and aggrieved senators settled for the return of at least two senators per state.
Governor Dickson, accord­ing to an informed source, has already rejected the deal, vow­ing to ensure that most of the senators and House of Repre­sentatives members from the state do not get their return tickets to the National Assem­bly in 2015.
The source said the agree­ment between the Presidency and the senators was not bind­ing on Bayelsa, because the state ‘is peculiar’.
Daily Sun learnt that Gov­ernor Dickson was ‘livid’ with the new deal with the National Assembly members.
“We are watching events as they unfold; I think at our end in Bayelsa State, what­ever agreement the Presidency must have reached with the senators is unlikely to have any binding effect on us be­cause Bayelsa state is peculiar.
‘When we heard the news, some of us tried to know from the governor if it was true, but he assured us that none of the National Assembly members affected by the zoning for­mular will return, even if an agreement has been reached in Abuja; in fact he was very livid.
“This matter is not for the Presidency to discuss with the senators, because most of them, especially those from Bayelsa are unelectable ele­ments who cannot even win their wards; this time around,, we will impress it on the Presi­dency to stay away from this, because we are tired of this back and forth development.
“As far as we are concerned, Abuja cannot decide for us in Bayelsa here; we have a leader of the party who is the gover­nor and self-seeking National Assembly members cannot hide under the Presidency to return to their businesses un­der the guise of aspirations.
“What we are saying in Bayelsa is that our earlier zoning stands, irrespective of whatever Abuja had decided and it is only the grassroot people that will decide who re­turns, and we shall ensure that this stays in the conscious­ness of the people because their decision has to stand,” he said.
Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) alleg­edly supported by Governor Dickson, had four weeks ago, purportedly adopted a zoning formula across the state for elective offices in 2015.
Curiously, the zoning of the offices saw to the shutting out of all current National Assem­bly members from the state.