Dele Ogbodo
Preparatory to the November 2019 Bayelsa State Governorship election, Barr. Timipa Jenkins Okponipere, a legal practitioner and human rights activist,
has said he is the most qualified to occupy the number one position, though acknowledged that he is traversing the length and breadth of the state and country consulting.
SHARPEDGENEWS Online, learnt that the incumbent Governor of the State, Hon. Seriake Dickson’s tenure will expire in 2018.
Briefing a cross section of the media in Abuja over the week end, Okponipere, who is a member of the Governing Council of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, hinted that aside his broad qualifications, he comes from Bayelsa Central senatorial district which is already primed to produce the next governor.
“Going by the gentleman’s zoning arrangement, the next governorship of the state is supposed to come back to Bayelsa Central and I’m from that area. I’m placed at a more advantageous position because within Bayelsa Central, Southern Ijaw has produced the governor in the person of the late Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha.
“Yenogoa and Polokuma local government areas have not produced a governor. I’m from Yenogoa local government and we are yet to produce a governor and even from Yenogoa local government. I come from Gbarain clan a very disadvantaged part of that local government in Yenogoa local government. It is the most disadvantaged clan in Bayelsa State.” He said.
According to him, from 1999 up till today, his Local Government Area has only succeeded in producing special advisers, adding, we have never produced a commissioner.
“You find out that it is a purely disadvantage part of Bayelsa State, even though we are in the heart of the capital. So I have come out as somebody from the Gbarain clan and as somebody who is very well qualified and accepted across the state and I want to become the next governor of Bayelsa state.” Okponipere said.
In admittance of the fact that he is still carrying out broad based consultation, the 43 year old activist, explained that he has made his intention made known to the governor and other political stakeholders in the state, adding: “I made my irrevocable intention known to our governor through the letter I wrote to him last month because of the deep love, allegiance, unalloyed loyalty and respect I and my teeming supporters have for that office.”
He stressed: “As a de-tribalised Nigerian, I have also consulted beyond the state because my state is part and parcel of the Nigerian federation and I felt that as a governorship aspirant of Bayelsa State I should consult widely to get the goodwill of my friends across the country.
“And that is why I have the full backing and support of former Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangidda. I consider the elder statesman as a close friend, I felt that as a governorship aspirant for Bayelsa State, I should widely and not just to consult within my state and get the goodwill and support of my friends across the country. I consider as a very close friend and I felt that I was proper for me to formerly intimate him of my governorship ambitious and of course you know that IBB is a man that has friends across the length and breadth of Nigeria, even in Bayelsa State he has friends.”
On age, he said: “The late Chief DS Alamieyeseigha assumed office on May 29, 1999 when he was about 47 years old. This is putting into cognizance that the world has moved on. If you look at France, they elected a 39 year old man who is doing so well as their president.
“And he is bringing so much goodwill to the French Republic. So why should Nigeria or Bayelsa be different. Come to think of it, France is a country while Bayelsa State is a sub nationality, so we should key into what is happening at the global trend that younger persons are elected into office as that has been the tradition even in Bayelsa State.
“Former President Goodluck Jonathan was 48 years when he assumed office as governor of the state and Chief Timipreye Sylva was 43 years when he assumed office as governor in 2007 and even the incumbent Seriaki Dickson, was barely 46 years old when he became governor in 2012.
“I advocate further that that a younger person who is less than 50 years old should assume the governorship of Bayelsa State to pilot the state to the next level of development and I fall squarely into category and age bracket.”