Bayelsa: Dickson’s aides defect to APC

At last, the defection train has hit President Goodluck Jonathan’s home state of Bayelsa with some aides of Governor Seriake Dickson dumping the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.

Also, loyalists of former governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, have shifted allegiance to the APC in Bayelsa.

The APC in the state is chaired by former Security Adviser to Sylva, Chief Richard Kpodo, while former Youth Leader of PDP in the South-South, Mr. Godwin Sidi, is the Interim State Secretary of the APC.

Apart from Kpodo, Sidi and scores of Dickson’s special advisers and commissioners, other defectors include former Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government, Mr. Timipa Orunemigha, alias Tiway.

The APC in the state will be inaugurated in Yenagoa, the state capital, this week.

The defection to the APC has put paid to months of political manoeuvrings and horse-trading, which had characterised the PDP since the New PDP’s conundrum.

Kpodo and other supporters had allegedly dumped the PDP and embraced the then Baraje Kawu-led nPDP for what they described as “lack of internal democracy and culture of impunity”.

Confirming their defection, Sidi told The PUNCH that their decision to move out of the PDP was due to the failure of peace talks in the party.

He claimed that the APC boasted of over two million supporters in Bayelsa.

The interim secretary said, “All arrangements have been put in place for the APC and Kpodo, I and other supporters find it expedient to move over to the APC with our supporters.

“The decision to move to the APC was taken due to the fact that every peace talk within the PDP has failed and also we have found out that the PDP is in life support and it will die very soon.

“We do not want to witness such a tragedy in a political party we have tried over the years to build.

“The APC secretariat will be opened within this week and we are solidly on ground. Kpodo will serve as Interim Chairman and I will serve as Secretary until party congress takes place.”

He urged Nigerians to stand up against Jonathan’s third term oath in office.

He said anything beyond eight years in office was unconstitutional, stressing that the APC would reject it.