BAYELSA GUBER: ANXIETY PERSISTS OVER SYLVA'S CLEARANCE

Anxiety mounted yesterday in the camp of Governor Timipre Sylva over reports that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee has gone ahead to put on hold the clearance of Sylva to contest the governorship primaries slated for November 19.

His eligibility to contest, which the Brig. Gen. Idi Adamu (retd)-led screening committee affirmed and which the Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi Appeal Committee referred to the NWC has been a subject of controversy with conflicting stories from the Wadata House national headquarters of the PDP.

The controversy deepened with the news filtering in that the NWC had issued a statement affirming the clearance of House of Representatives member, Mr. Henry Seriake Dickson, Mr. Boloubo Orufa, Mr. Christopher Enai and Mr. Youpele Kalango, while the other aspirants including Sylva had their clearance pending.

According to a source, the NWC was mindful of the implication of edging out Sylva from the race and had appealed for calm stating that the NWC had not foreclosed the clearance of the other aspirants. Investigations in Yenagoa revealed that Sylva's supporters were gripped with anxiety over the news. Many of his loyalists who had been holed up in Abuja had been joined by many others who left Yenagoa to Abuja to express solidarity with the governor.

Meanwhile, 39 communities in Sagbama Local Government Area have endorsed Governor Sylva for a second term in office. The communities in a meeting coordinated by political appointees from the area including the commissioners for finance, housing and urban development and special duties enumerated the massive infrastructural and human capacity development received by the people of the local government area embarked upon by the Sylva administration.

The Finance Commissioner, Mr. Steven Ogullah said the people of the local government area had no other choice than to support the governorship ambition of Governor Sylva next year as a show of gratitude.

Meanwhile, the kick-off of the campaign of Dickson to clinch the PDP ticket has reached top gear with all preparations for the ceremony almost completed.

According to sources, the Director-General of the Bayelsa Restoration Team, Chief Fred Agbedi, has promised an issue-based campaign which would not delve into muckraking against opponents.

Series of meetings are said to be going on in Abuja with political associates and those called the friends of PDP putting heads together to raise the needed funds for the campaign of Dickson.