Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, has boasted that his party, the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) will convincingly coast home to victory on Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
A statement signed on Monday by Dickson’s Chief Press Secretary, Fidelis Soriwei, said the governor spoke during a live media chat in Yenagoa.
Dickson said his confidence of the landslide victory for the PDP was hinged on the support shown by the people during the constituency-based campaigns of the party.
The governor said the dominance of the PDP in Bayelsa politics was not under any threat from the APC.
He commended the exceptional performance of his administration especially in the area of enthroning a tolerant political culture to accommodate all politicians including the opposition.
He said his Restoration Government made history for providing an enabling environment for all political parties to campaign round the state without any breach of the peace.
He said that the campaigns of the various political parties had been smooth without any incidence of violence and killings because of the deliberate policy of sustained investment in security by his government.
He said: “Investments have made in security and stability over the years by this government. Even though we are counting days to a governorship election, an election that has generated a lot of interest, it is gratifying that our state is still very calm, peaceful and stable.
“And that is the evidence of the investments that my government has been making in the last close to eight years, which is why we will continue to remain one of the most peaceful and stable states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Few days to a governorship election, for the first time, we are seeing a Bayelsa that is calm. There are no explosions, no major security breaches, no hoodlums threatening people, even though some of the rallies APC in Yenagoa have been characterised by a lot of brigandage but it’s nothing compared to the past.”
The governor also urged the people of Bayelsa to cast their votes for Senator Douye Diri to sustain the prevailing peace, stability and other enduring legacies of his administration.
He called on traditional rulers to be neutral and not to heat up the polity by adopting a political party as all the candidates were their subjects.
“I have given recognition to traditional rulers more than any other government so I want you to protect the dignity of your office”, he said.
The governor who urged people of Bayelsa to vote wisely, reminded them that the election was about the future of their children.
Highlighting his performance in office, he said his administration’s achievements surpassed that of his predecessors adding that Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation would be better off voting the PDP.
The governor who described the state international airport as the single biggest investment located in the heartland of the Niger Delta, called on the people particularly the Southern Ijaw, Yenagoa and Kolokuma/Opokuma local government areas to vote the PDP.
He called on the people to discountenance the propaganda being peddled by the APC, against the airport, which, he said, was borne out of hatred and shame.
Dickson explained that the airport project gulped about N70billion and not N100 billion being bandied in some quarters to discredit his administration.
He said: “The APC leader in this state should bury his head in shame because he had the opportunity to build this airport but deceived Bayelsans and the federal government even after receiving so much support.
“We came and without any dime from the Federal Government, we built the airport from the scratch and it is ready for use today. What is holding the take off of the world class facility is the delay in the issuance of the operational license by the APC led federal government.”