Chief Perekeme Kpodoh, the former security adviser to the Bayelsa state government, has denied endorsing the immediate past governor of the state, Hon. Seriake Dickson ahead of the flag bearer of the APC for the vacant West Senatorial District by-election slated for October 31st in the State.
According to Kpodoh, though he made reference to Hon. Seriake Dickson in order to challenge the leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to nominate a more viable aspirant to confront him for the West Senatorial District, he will never betray the APC to endorse a candidate of the ruling PDP in the State.
Chief Perekeme Kpodoh, who is a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Sagbama local government area where former Governor Seriake Dickson hails from, stated that the issue of gentleman’s agreement between Sagbama and Ekeremor local government areas of Bayelsa state, has been punctured by personal greed and selfish politicking to ensure the former governor continues a free ride to the National Assembly.
According to Kpodoh, “it is true that I granted an interview where I called on APC leadership to set up a clear party processes in which a viable and sellable candidate will be nominated to challenge the sole candidate of the PDP in Hon. Seriake Dickson. I did not endorse him. And I cannot endorse him. ”
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Kpodoh, who commended the APC leadership for conducting a widely acceptable primaries that produced the former deputy governor, Rt.Hon. Peremobowei Ebebi for Bayelsa West and Chief Abel Ebifemowei for the Bayelsa Central, said ”APC has listened to us this time and allowed the emergence of credible candidates. And for allowing Ebebi to emerge, as an APC chieftain the decision of my party supersede that of a gentleman agreement on rotation not honored by one man.”
He noted that this senatorial bye-election is not about money politics and violence, ”but it is an election that Ebebi will win because he has the support of the people in Ekeremor and Sagbama. Nobody should intimidate or blackmail anybody ahead of the election. APC will win the poll because we are ready as a people to reject a man that is serving a third term through the back door in Bayelsa.”
On the controversy trailing the issue of power rotation between Sagbama and Ekeremor, Kpodoh explained that though some political stakeholders met and resolved to uphold the existing gentleman agreement between Sagbama and Ekeremor people,”the issue which was raised recently was pre-planned by his former aides and PDP members to satisfy the whims and caprices of their pay masters.
“It cannot be binding on APC leaders. In the spirit of true rotation, when the former governor finished spending eight years as governor, the new deputy governor slot should have gone to Ekeremor. Why didn’t they replace a deputy to Ekeremor and get to complete the Senate Seat for Sagbama.”
“Those who adopted the gentleman agreement at the meeting in Sagbama were PDP members and they hoodwinked those at the meeting with rhetorics. And they claimed it should be binding on all those that attended.
“They claimed Chief Peremobowei Ebebi was once a Deputy Governor. Ebebi emergence was not by the people but by the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo. But it did not last. When Governor Dickson was governor, how many commissioner slots did he give to the Ekeremor people? He gave Sagbama over six slots and gave Ekeremor people less than three.”
