Bayelsa West: Purported Zoning arrangement has not been respected, says Group

A group under the aegis of  Bayelsa West Youth Congress has raised the alarm that a group of politicians and their cronies are deliberately twisting history in an attempt to confuse and create needless tension among the good people of the Senatorial District on a purported zoning arrangement in the area. 

According to the group, what had happened over the years is a healthy contest of political parties pairing up candidates with the potential to win elections in the two local government councils making up the district.

In a statement yesterday by the National Coordinator of the Group, Comrade Ebide Brown lamented that the whole noise about zoning is a mischievous attempt by a group of politicians to make a sacrilegious attempt to disenfranchise Senator Henry Seriake Dickson from participating in the next election.

Abide Brown who traced the history of Electoral contests in the Senatorial district from 1999, said that there has been zoning of the positions in the district, just as he recalled that in the contest for the first elections in District in 1999, Senator Emmanuel Diffa and AVM Larry Koinyan all came all from Sagbama while the Candidate for the House of Representatives candidate, Chief Clement Andie, from Sagbama, win the election.

Brown recalled that in 2003 Chief JK Brambaifa,  (PDP) Sen. Emmanuel Difa- SALGA (PDP), all from Sagbama,  Chief (Barr) Ebikake Abeke- EKELGA ( PDP)contested the Senatorial election which was eventually won by Senator Brambaifa while Chief Enai who was PDP flag bearer to the House of Reps won dressing that there was zoning. 

He stated further that Senator Heineken Lokpobiri from Ekeremor wouldn’t have contested for the third term against Foster Ogola from Sagbama in 2015 in violation of the terms of the purported agreement, adding that even in 2019,  Captain Karimo contested against Foster  Ogola. Both men are from

Sagbama.  He stressed that under a respected government the APC wouldn’t have fielded a candidate against a Sagbama Senatorial candidate since Hon Fred Agbedi, an Ekeremor man was already in the House of Representatives.

According to him, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo (Sagbama) contested against Captain Karimo of the APC, another Sagbama politician under the platform of the APC, just as he noted that if there were a serious zoning political arrangement, the APC whose members and a handful of PDP saboteurs who are insisting on zoning wouldn’t have sponsored Hon Peremobowei Ebebi against Senator Dickson in 2020.

Debbi Brown wondered what would have happened to the purported zoning arrangement if Ebebi had defeated Senator Dickson in the heavily contested election where Ebebi polled over 20000 votes.

He urged Bayelsans and well-meaning Nigerians to ignore the mischief designed to hand over the Senatorial District to the APC, even as he said that serious-minded politicians with the right credentials go for the campaign and not blackmail.

Abide Brown recalled that Ekeremor political leaders agreed unanimously to contribute the money for the expression of interest and nomination forms for Senator Dickson because of his record of performance, the merit of his brand of representation, and proven love for the people over the years.

Courtesy: Vanguard News