This piece tends to weigh the areas of strengths and weaknesses of the major contenders of the major contenders for the gubernatorial seat in Bayelsa as the electorates decide at the polls.
Incumbent Bayelsa state governor, Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his All Progressives Congress (APC) challenger, Chief Timipre Sylva go head to head today in a battle for the governorship seat of the state.
Both men have governed the state before. Below are their strengths and weaknesses;
Dickson's strengths:
- He's an incumbent governor and it's believed that he's done a good job.
- He has the backing of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan.
- Despite the massive defections to the APC in the state following the 2015 general election results, mainstream women and youth groups in the state, the clergy and Ijaw elders have reportedly thrown their weight behind Dickson’s second term bid.
- PDP won all the elective positions in the state during the last general elections.
Dickson's weaknesses:
- Dickson is not a grassroots politician and does not have the kind of political structures needed for elections like this.
- Reports say many of the stakeholders in the state are not happy with him because he abolished the money-sharing syndrome that was the norm before he came to power.
- The momentum of President Muhammadu Buhari's victory at the 2015 elections hasn't died down.
Sylva's strengths:
- Sylva is considered one of the most potent political forces in Bayelsa State and Southsouth today and is regarded as one of the closest politicians to President Muhammadu Buhari.
- He is a grassroots mobiliser who has strong structures across the state to drive his campaign.
- The APC is gathering momentum all over the country and the PDP seems to be getting weaker
Sylva's weaknesses:
- He has an unpleasant past. There are allegation of human rights abuses, particularly killings, as well as wastes in government during his tenure.
- Bayelsa has only been governed by the PDP since the return to civil rule in 1999