BAYELSA ELECTION: sylva and Dickson go spiritual.

Ahead of weekend’s election in Southern Ijaw
Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to
determine the winner of the governorship poll in
the state, the two leading candidates have gone
spiritual on the matter.
They are incumbent governor and candidate of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Seriake
Dickson and that All Progressives Congress
(APC), Timipre Sylva.
The duo were said to have taken their electoral
campaigns to Calabar, Cross River State capital
for spiritual backing.
When the Bayelsa State election was held on
December 5, 2015, the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) cancelled the
Southern Ijaw election citing violence and
electoral malpractices for the action.
It was billed the next day but again was cancelled
for January 9, 2016.
Before the botched Southern Ijaw election Dickson
won in six local government councils namely
Nembe, Yenagoa, Sagbama, Ekeremor,
Kolopokuma and Ogbia. Sylva won only in Brass
local government area.
Impeccable sources at the world headquarters of
Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, Calabar
confirmed that Sylva met with its leader Olumba
Olumba Obu and pleaded for divine intervention to
emerge victorious.
Our reporter gathered that Sylva has assured Obu
of undisclosed appreciation, especially as the
religious leader was embarking on building project
known as “Olumba Supreme Temple.”
On his part, Dickson was reported to have sent a
team to the Brotherhood headquarters too.
In the course of a homily, the spiritual leader said
he received and gave them the word of God
which, he said, was essentially what both needed
to succeed.
He said: “…They are both running neck-to-neck at
the election. Both are equal. I did not announce
to their different delegations who amongst would
come out victorious because that would have
caused disaffection in the minds of brethren who
support them.”
Obu charged his adherents and Nigerians to pray
fervently, saying that doing otherwise would
result violent election.
Numerous political functionaries have since turned
the Brotherhood headquarters into a spiritual
consulting clinic even when Obu strongly
cautioned that his spiritual organisation has
nothing to do with politics.
However, a source who pleaded anonymity told
our reporter that Governor Dickson is not giving
anything to chance in his fight to win Southern
Ijaw votes.
He said “There is a serious political horse-trading
going on in Southern Ijaw right now. They are
going from community-to-community, house-to-
house, talking to people.”
It was gathered that Sylva on his part is relying
on his goodwill as a former governor of the state
to turn things around.
A source close to his camp confided in our
correspondent that the former governor is relying
on the youths of the local government to win the
polls.
The source said Sylva had made so many
promises such as pipeline survey contract to the
youth of the area if they assist him to win the
election.