Bayelsa PDP gov primary: Presidency, PDP move to stop Sylva, Alaibe alliance •Ex-NDDC boss tipped for top federal job •Gov weighs options with loyalists

BUOYED by the near success in the ‘stop Sylva project’ in Bayelsa State, hawks within the presidency as well as some powerful elements among the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have perfected plans to thwart the possible fusion of forces by Governor Timipre Sylva and a former Managing Director of the Niger Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Ndutimi Alaibe.
To firm up the plan which is aimed at averting what a source called ‘allied forces’, Alaibe is reportedly being tipped for a juicy federal job, a position it is believed, will keep him busy working for the PDP in the February 2012 governorship election even as such will keep him away from any possible working relationship with the governor against the anointed candidate of the president’s political machine in the state.
Strategists of the Green Movement, President Jonathan’s political family formed in 2006, were said to have counselled their principal on the need to ‘lure’ Alaibe out of the Labour Party (LP) in order not to pose a threat to their desire to have one of them as governor in 2012.
“This whole thing in Bayelsa has many sides to it and many people would not understand the issues at all; to start with, we saw from the outset that the only person who can pose a threat to anybody in the state in terms of financial war chest and grass-roots support is Alaibe, we either take it or leave it.
“But this is politics for you; we needed to have a change of government through a democratic method and we went to the drawing board to also plan our strategies. In the course of this, it was discovered that only Alaibe could muster the courage we need to fight Sylva but the problem was that he was in the LP.

“So what we did was to advise the president, without him knowing our mindset, to prevail on Alaibe to leave his party to join us; of course, we knew that he would face this whole waiver problem, but this is politics for you. We had to do this because by the time we finally emerge with our candidate, we want a situation where someone like Alaibe will not be the pride of a defeated sitting governor to court after primary.
“I can tell you pointedly that as of today, there are moves to placate and appease Alaibe, because the issues behind his moving to the PDP were beyond him; certainly, a very juicy federal board is in the offing for him, because we need to save Bayelsa, except that the dynamics of politics are almost shoving him aside from the governorship race for now,” he said.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that Alaibe was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday last week.
The visit, which coincided with that of the governors of the South-South to seek audience with President Jonathan on the fate of Sylva, was reportedly at the instance of the president.
Alaibe, when contacted on the development, confirmed that he was at the Villa, but nonetheless declined further comments on enquiries.
For the embattled governor, it was time for serious business as he engaged his close aides and associates immediately after attending the coronation ceremony of King Ebitimi Banigo as the Amayanabo of Okpoama, Brass Local Government Area of the state.
A source close to the Government House said as of 2.00 a.m on Sunday, Governor Sylva was still locked in the session which, he said, would decide his next line of action.
Although it was yet to be officially confirmed by the leadership of the PDP, it was clear that Governor Sylva’s desire to contest the governorship primary of the PDP in the state remained a mere dream.
Source