Senator John Brambifa is a member of the Contact Sub-Committee for the Governorship Campaign Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State. In this interview with Regional Editor, Olawale Rasheed, the former Bayelsa West senator explains why PDP will win the governorship election without Governor Timipre Silva. Excerpts:

How is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now, after the emergence of Honorable Seriake Dickson?
The party is in good shape, especially after the inauguration of the Elders‘ Committee last week. Prior to the inauguration, the party was in shambles, with multiple levels of disaffections. That meeting was a good step towards reviving the party. The meeting was able to assemble a set of credible people that would help to rebuild the party. The governorship primaries have come and gone. A candidate has emerged and we are set for the election.

Some observers outside Bayelsa believe the PDP risks losing the state due to crisis over the governorship ticket. How true is this?
It is laughable. There is no way PDP can lose Bayelsa.No way. The opposition is virtually non-existent .If it exists, it is very badly organised. What party will take Bayelsa state from the PDP? Is it Labour Party (LP) or the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that will capture power from the PDP? I don’t think that is possible. It is not possible for us to lose Bayelsa. Eighty-five to 90 per cent of Bayelsa people are PDP.So, there is no way any party can take the state from the PDP. Where will that party come from; from heaven or what?

What if the governor defects to another party to challenge the PDP?
I will strongly advise him never to do that. If he does that, it will be the worse thing that can happen to him. We are talking about the party, the PDP. Silva is not the party. He is the leader of the party at the state level, but he is not the party. If he decides to go into any of those badly organised parties, he won’t have sufficient time to build such into a strong platform that can confront the PDP. Before he build such party, election would have come and gone. I don’t think quitting the party is the best thing for him to do.

Some say the governor has the party structure in his hands and if he moves, the PDP will become an empty shell. How real is that position?
That is not true. Let’s even assume that he has the party structure, these are mature people who have minds of their own. How would you convince them to cross to another party? You will ask them to quit their party because there was a primary in which you were excluded? Can that be a strong reason the structure would follow you to another party? If he put up such argument, not many people will follow him. I am sure many people will not quit the party on account of that excuse.

Why do you think the governor find himself in this cul-de-sac?
Well, am not Silva. So, I may not be in a good position to say exactly what happened to him. But I know that something must be wrong with him .Otherwise, this is a young man with all the opportunities before him. I think he made mistakes somewhere to have allowed the situation to fall out of hand.

You were once the chairman of the state PDP Reconciliation Committee. What happened to those reconciliation efforts?
We were able to complete our assignments. For six months, we were on the assignments. We put up our report. This is a copy of the report in my possession. But up till now, we have not been able to submit the report to the governor. It is a comprehensive report; 70 pages in all. If he had agreed to see and act on the report, it would have served as a blueprint for the party in the state.

Are you saying you have not been able to present the report officially to the governor?
No, we have not.

Why?
Well, I don’t know. We were told he was too busy to grant us audience.

Can the Elders‘ Forum handle the challenges and fallouts of the ongoing feud?
Yes. The elders come from across the local government areas in the state. They are serious and very credible leaders within the party who will ensure that the decisions taken are followed through in their respective local government areas. One would have loved the governor to be part of the arrangement, but he is not, due to the primary issue. But we the elders are more than strong enough to pull the party through at the elections.

What type of person is Honorable Dickson, the PDP governorship standard bearer?
I have known Dickson for over twenty years. Dickson is a patriot. He believes in development; he believes in bringing people together; he believes in collective decision making and he knows the problems of Bayelsa.He can bring the state out of this non-performance syndrome to performing one. He is a strong activist within the Ijaw National Congress. So, he understands the state very well and knows too well that Bayelsa is the centre of Ijaw people. Since he is a believer in consultation and collective decision making, he would make a good governor.

From which zone should Dickson‘s running mate come?
Certainly not from Bayelsa West. West will be producing the governor. It will be either Bayelsa East or South.

Are you entertaining any fear as to the outcome of the various court cases on this matter?
Well as far as I am concerned, primaries were conducted. Delegates participated and a standard bearer emerged. If anybody is waiting for court verdict, fine.But to me, at the end of it all, the party will be victorious on the outcome of its primaries.

What is your message to Bayelsa people in view of this political crisis?
My message is that we should look out for the truth. We have had so many problems since the creation of the state but I think this time around, we are getting it right with the candidature of Honorable Dickson.