Article: Timi Sylva’s Political Craft In Bayelsa Politics

Sylva

By Femmy Lawson

As the December date for the governorship election in Bayelsa State approaches, every concerned Nigerians particularly those conversant with the history of Bayelsa state politics have every reason to show concern and voice out opinions that will not only ensure a free and fair process, but also guarantee the security of lives and properties before, during and after the election.

Events of the past few days have further raised the need for the above, we will recall that only few days ago, thugs wielding all sorts of dangerous ammunitions attacked the campaign train of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Yenegoa. These attackers not minding the presence of the PDP’s candidate who incidentally is the incumbent Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, threatened to launch further attacks on the PDP and his supporters by claiming that “We have the Federal”, meaning they are assured of the support of the Federal government.

As keen observers, we are not unmindlful of the antecedent of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC in the forthcoming election, that is, Mr. Timipre Sylva. Having once been given the opportunity to govern Bayelsa state in the past, the records of his preference for violence are still there till date. Already, Bayelsan are blaming Timi Sylva for cases of violence in the state, especially on the attacks of the past few days.

Timi Sylva’s electoral adventures speak about his relevance and limitations, although, he amplifies his relevance at the right time to scare his targets, because, he trades in threats. The Nigerian politician is at his worst moment of trepidation just about the time of elections. He is more susceptible to whispers, sounds of the soil and the conference of listless leaves.

It is the time the most miserly of them spend the kind of money which rends his heart with sadness. The kind of money he told all before election that God had not been kind enough to bless him with. It was the time he agrees to murder. He never killed a soul before, but this was his murder debut. He would shuttle the shrines, kiss the cross and wave the rosary. Anything.

At this point, he is leagues from humanity. He is possessed. Seized by visions and sooth. He is constantly in the current of overly carnal longings. He sees himself in opulence. His heart palpitates over the snag. One snag which could upturn this destiny. The sure route to untold wealth and instant elevation in the society. The farthest thing on his mind is service. This is the prize, This is why the path to this office is fraught with intrigues, always dressed in officious, formal normality. Nothing is normal about it in the universal sense.

Even when the APC’s stakeholders and members in Bayelsa state rejected Sylva, all signs shows that President Muammadu Buhari is in love with him.

There is no moment of greater vulnerability for the APC in Bayelsa than now. The rate of their failed promises to Nigerians at the centre is untold. Since the APC took over governance at the centre, the gap between the rich and the poor is obscene. The leadership of the APC is uncouth and uncultured as exhibited daily. The common man and his family members want to vote for food in their bellies.

While the APC at the centre nursed a dilemma over its thirst to bring a candidate known for violence and corruption up in Bayelsa state, the APC in Bayelsa appears to think it is a problem peculiar to the APC. Nothing could be more foolish. It tells that Timi Sylva would go the whole hog and mess up his party’s chances. He is not fighting for the governor’s seat. He fights for bread.

It is the theme which functions between the cries of corruption by the APC against the PDP at the centre, but corruption is okay at the state and local government levels governed by their party. It is a resonance of the Sylva’s craft.

The people of Bayelsa state have great expectations. They want a continued development of their state, an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. They want less of media-powered performance. They are craving a lot less looting, huge indebtedness and empire buildings at the cost of continuous impoverishment of the people. People like Timi Sylva and his gangs are too small to stand in the way of all of us.

For Bayelsans, it would it be better to have a chance in a small pool, than face a certain failure in a large one infested, fractioned and in very sinister party like APC, as it clearly shows right now.

We are sure that Timi Sylva himself knows he is going nowhere in this election, hence his resort to violence and propaganda which he is determined to continually foster. That should not be the time people with eyes would start seeing that Slyva’s craft had taken off long ago. It was always in flight. It was never in their hangar.

God bless Bayelsa.