Bayelsa: Don’t Mind Rumours About Dickson Supporting Anyone – Alaibe

Bayelsans have been asked to discountenance claims that Governor Serikae Dickson has restricted his succession plans to within his close political family, Mr. Timi Alaibe, one of the major aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has said.

Speaking in an interview, he also played down the tag of him being a recurring aspirant does not hold.

The political adviser to the governor, Feynman Wilson had last Sunday issued a statement in which he listed three persons who he claimed had been shortlisted for consideration by the Restoration Caucus of the governor. The three were Senator Douye Diri, the Senator representing Bayelsa Central District, the Secretary to the State Government Barr. Kemela Okara, and the Chief of Staff to the State Government, Rt. Hon Talford Ongolo.

The claim immediately triggered mutterings leading the governor to issue a clarification through his media adviser, Fidelis Soriewi to the effect that no final list had been made and that the governor was still open on the issue of succession. He, however, asserted that his successor would be from within his political family.

But plunging ahead and countering the claims that he was in the contention to get the outgoing governor’s support, Alaibe despite the governor’s claim that he would only support those from within his immediate political family, Alaibe said:

“He has not said so. Where did you get that information?,” the former NDDC helmsman said in an interview with Sun.

Asked on how supportive Dickson has been towards his aspiration, he said:

“He has not said so. You know the politics in Nigeria and to some extent everywhere thrives on rumour. I think he (Dickson) has a very strong personality, he understands governance and I believe that if he had done that (choosing a preferred successor) people would have been talking about it. He carries everybody along.”

“when I started this journey, I did extensive consultations with key stakeholders. The consultation process is still on and I am thrilled by the overwhelming support that I have had from these stakeholders. It is still on and there is no resting until we achieve our goal.”

On his chances against the other challengers, he said:
“There is no need for comparative analysis. I am coming into the race with an incomparable wealth of experience both in the public and private sectors.  I have never been a failure in anything I set out to do. And I will not fail my people as a governor. I am compassionate.”

“I am a bridge-builder. I am a peace advocate. I have strong leadership qualities. I am a success story when it comes to managing human and material resources. I have a strong network of friends and partners to draw development ideas and resources from at any critical moment for the good of my state. These are what I am bringing to the table.”

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