Between Sylva and Ebebi

Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayela State

The crisis of confidence between Governor Timipre Sylva and his deputy, Peremobowei Ebebi widens, as the 2012 governorship election in Bayelsa State draws near
By Lawson Heyford, Yenagoa
From the beginning, precisely May 27, 2007 when they were sworn-in as Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State respectively, Timipre Sylva and Peremobowei Ebebi have never hidden the fact that they are two strange political bedfellows, brought together by providence. Coming from different political backgrounds, Sylva and Ebebi have obviously been tolerating and condoning each other within the past 30 months they have been at the helm of affairs in the state. While the Ekpoma-Brass- born Sylva emerged through the New Covenant Family 2007 political structure led by political strategist, Dr. George Fente, the Ekeremor-born Ebebi was, like a child of circumstance, inherited from the administration of the then Governor Goodluck Jonathan as his deputy.
Ebebi was before then a one-term speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and became deputy to Jonathan, who as deputy governor too, took over the administration of Bayelsa State from the erstwhile governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in 2005, following the impeachment of the first civilian governor of the State. After about 18 months in office as governor, Jonathan contested and won the 2007 election to become Nigeria’s Vice President on the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). And, as part of the harmonisation process sequel to the emergence of Sylva who came second to Jonathan in the PDP governorship primaries, Ebebi was then made to run as deputy to Sylva on the order of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, jettisoning Governor Sylva’s earlier choice of Dr. Obokolo. Obokolo is now the PDP’s chairmanship candidate for Yenagoa local government election council scheduled for April, 2010.
Few months into the administration, the bubble burst between the first and second citizens when the Governorship ambition of Ebebi became the subject matter at every public gathering, including markets, shops, eateries and bars and even among the academia and politicians. The news spread like wildfire, to the extent that it threatened the working relationship between the duo.
Not pleased with the development, Fente, the immediate past Special Adviser to Governor Sylva on Political Matters, came out with a statement denying any fracas between the governor and his deputy, blaming mischief makers and political opponents for spreading such falsehood. But Ebebi was to say last week that “things have never been alright between us. We have only been trying to cover up”.
Events following that denial have further confirmed the widening gap between Sylva and Ebebi, to the extent that the latter had to cry out bitterly to journalists recently, complaining of alleged marginalisation and usurpation of his functions. Under the administration of Jonathan, the deputy governor played supervisory role over two Ministries - Local Government and Sports – while his monthly overhead was put at N150million. Apart from stripping him of such supervisory functions in the two agencies of government, his monthly overhead bill was reduced to N75million in the wake of the current world economic meltdown. But government officials explained that the various economic steps adopted by the Sylva administration were to ensure financial prudence and discipline.
An enraged Ebebi was to tell newsmen that his office space has been reduced to a mere three-bedroom apartment, without electricity and water nor overhead to run the office.
But Chief Perekeme Richard-Kpodoh, Special Adviser to Governor Sylva on Security Matters, told The Source that the deputy governor was merely crying wolf where non existed, explaining that Ebebi’s office was only recently moved to a temporary three-bedroom apartment to pave way for ongoing reconstruction work within Government House, including his office. According to Richard-Kpodoh, even if that was the case, should that give rise for him (deputy governor) throwing caution to the wind and demean his exalted office and position.
Kpodoh described Ebebi’s action as unfortunate and irresponsible.
The seeming disagreement blew open penultimate Saturday during the PDP chairmanship and councillorship primaries for the forth-coming local government election billed for next April. The problem came to light over which of the two candidates being projected by the governor and his deputy would fly the party’s flag in Ekeremor local government area, the home base of Ebebi. While Ebebi was, allegedly, behind the candidature of one Selekebela Sambo, Sylva was said to have preferred one Julius Eddi, who at the end of the exercise eventually picked the party’s ticket for the chairmanship election. This ostensibly angered Ebebi who reportedly waged a war against supporters of his boss, leading to a fracas between both groups, with each accusing the other of launching the first onslaught in an attempt to have the upper hand in the polls.
Soon after the primaries, there was a clash between the deputy governor’s convoy and that of the chairman of Ekeremor Local Government Transition Monitoring Committee (TMC), Ben Eyorodokumor, on their way back to Yenagoa, apparently to submit their different result sheets to the state secretariat of the PDP.
In the ensuing scuffle involving both politicians and security personnel attached to the two public officers, some persons were severely injured including the TMC boss himself and his Chief Security Officer (CSO), Lawrence Loakind, who are still recuperating at the Government House Clinic, Yenagoa.
According to Eyorodokumor's account, Ebebi’s convoy overtook their own convoy from behind, obstructing traffic on the busy East West Road from both Yenagoa and Bomadi ends, culminating in the shoot-out. In the process, the TMC chairman, his CSO and two other Mobile Policemen were severely injured, with the TMC life saved through the timely intervention of an Army Patrol van.
Penultimate Sunday, a group of youths led by the secretary of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Central zone, Jonathan Lokpobiri, protested the alleged meddlesomeness of Ebebi in the primaries, at Government House, Yenagoa, where the governor appealed to them for calm and patience, promising to investigate the allegations against his deputy. Chanting protest songs, the group condemned the brutalisation of their members and called for the resignation or removal from office of Ebebi whom they described as “very disloyal and disrespectful to the governor”.
But Ebebi dismissed the protest with a wave of the hand, describing the youths as “paid agents”. He, instead, blamed the incident on the State Commissioner for Youths and Conflict Resolution, Bekes Etifa and the TMC chairman, Eyorodokumor. Sylva said the action was “sad and unbecoming of a deputy governor, although I don’t believe he can do it”.
As a counter, another group of people led by Abel Ebifemowei, former Chairman of Bayelsa Volunteers under the administration of his cousin, Alamieyeseigha, last Monday protested on the streets of Yenagoa, with placards demanding the resignation of Governor Sylva “for inflicting pains on Bayelsans”.
This group, unlike the former, was wild and violent, destroying the pictures and billboards of the governor erected at the Imgbi Road Junction, along the Chief Melford Okilo way by a socio-political group in the state, "Concerned Bayelsans for Timipre Sylva." This was followed by an explosion at Ebilade Oil, a filling station owned by Ebebi along the Isaac Boro Expressway, Yenagoa at about 2.30am last Tuesday, December 1. Neither the governor nor his deputy’s group has claimed responsibility for the explosion of the substance suspected to be dynamite.
Elder Onuoha Udeka, the State Commissioner of Police claimed that he had no knowledge about the protests, an indication that the protests by the two groups were unauthorised and yet nobody was arrested by security agents. Fente, who had kept sealed lips since he was ousted from office in April 2008, merely told journalists: “The incident was a show of shame and a corporate embarrassment to Bayelsans”.
The Source learnt that majority members of the National Assembly are backing Ebebi against Sylva. It was learnt that the NWC has already cancelled the primaries on the grounds that the State PDP Chairman, Rufus Abadi, was not a party to the exercise, as he claimed ignorance of the primaries.
In the last three months, Abadi had been having a running battle with the State Administration over alleged mistrust and allegtions of being a sell-out. He was alleged to have been hobnobbing with Abuja-based politicians who are against the interest of those who put him in office. Consequently, there has been a total loss of confidence in him by both the leadership of the State and the Party, resulting in the deputy chairman of the party, Obiene Dairus virtually taking charge of the party in the state.
Political observers are, however, blaming the deputy governor for the current impasse. The feeling is that he blew out his ambition too early, putting to question his level of loyalty to his boss, Governor Sylva. But whatever the case, Ebebi may have to explain to Bayelsans whose interest he is protecting by wagging an unprovoked war against the state’s Chief Executive.