David Lyon: APC, Sylva Not Fair to me • After Consultations, I’ll Take Action • Sylva Didn’t Defeat Me

Last Friday, the APC in Bayelsa State held a primary election to elect its candidate for the November 11 gubernatorial election. At the end of the day, immediate past minister of state for petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva was announced winner and flagbearer of the party. But David Lyon is angry and disappointed that his party leaders allegedly colluded with Sylva to deprive him of the ticket.

In this telephone interview, Lyon says he cannot congratulate Sylva because the man did not defeat him. He also lamented that the APC has been unfair to him, not giving him the right of first refusal, having been elected governor in 2019 but denied the right to the seat, for no fault of his.

Excerpts:

You left Yenagoa without waiting for the final result of the primary election. What happened:

What was I supposed to be doing there? The whole process was messed up. The right thing was not done. The result sheets were supposed to be given to the various people to take to their various places to conduct the election.

At what point did you notice that they messed up the process?

We had a stakeholders meeting the day after yesterday(on Friday last week) at the party secretariat and they made it clear, point blank, that they will give out the result sheets to the various returning officers, which our agents will be there with them. But our people waited from about 7am till after 5pm and we later heard that they have given the result sheets to one of the aspirants in the hotel.

So what did you do when you heard that?

We had to hold a press conference in the party secretariat.

So, who are you blaming?

I am blaming some members of the NWC and even the committee itself, which the committee compromised in one way or the other, including the former minister (Sylva). Some members of the NWC compromised, including the chairman of the election planning committee for Bayelsa because somebody like me, I contested an election and won in 2019. I won a sitting governor. I don’t expose my popularity to people until people expose my popularity. Everybody knows in this country; even this primaries, they know, they are afraid. They said they wanted to give returning officers result sheet to go to their respective wards. They did something that was wrong, giving result sheets to only one aspirant around 5pm. So, it is not fair.

You think the APC is not fair to you?

I will say the APC is not fair to me because I suppose(sic) to be given right of first refusal, sincerely speaking, because I am governor-elect, former governor-elect. If the party is fair to me, former minister that supported me, why should he resign to come and contest election with me? It is a bit suspicious. The man who messed up the process, being my running mate, was given a sole ticket to run for senate. The fault is not from me, the fault is from my deputy governor-elect, who is still a serving senator and they gave him a sole ticket in APC to run. And they voted him out. Then, why would they not give me right of first refusal?

Do you believe that the APC hates you?

I don’t mean to say that because APCA give me ticket in 2019 but I believe that they are supposed to give me ticker to run(again).

What do you think this portends for the November 11 election?

It is not my duty to answer that. It is not me to answer that question. Bayelsans will decide.

After you were denied swearing-in in 2019, there were speculations that you and Sylva had issues.

What really happened?

I don’t want to talk about that matter now because we are just out of primary now. I know that Bayelsans know me, that my yes is my yes. I respect my leaders and I will continue to respect them. In a family, people must have disagreements. We disagree to agree and move on.

How do feel after this whole thing?

I don’t feel that somebody has defeated me in any election. I am very strong. Very, very strong. Nobody has defeated me in this election. I defeated them. That is the reason why they compromised with the committee that came to conduct the election. If they were not afraid of the APC registered voters to allow them vote in their respective wards, they would have seen a different thing in Bayelsa. Everybody knows me.

You took third position

It is laughbale and it is still laughable. How do you expect David Lyon who won election in 2019…even my ward alone, they queued up(sic) to wait for people to come and conduct the election but they did not see anybody. When they were counted, my ward alone, ward 4, almost 2000 persons. Find out from people, pictures and videos are there. Olodiama 2, ward 4 in SILGA.

Are u thinking of contesting the result in court?

I am consulting.

Have you thought of congratulating Sylva

He did not win election for me to congratulate him. So I can’t congratulate. When we go to the field and your opponent wins you, you congratulate him and go back to your house, and go back to the drawing board because you are of the same family.

What next for you?

I am still a member of the APC and I will remain in the APC.