Below is the controversial Bayelsa tape that has set the State on edge, fuelling the verbal war between the Goveror, Henry Serials Dickson, and Ndutimi Alaibe, one of the aspirants to the most coveted seat.
HSD: That somebody from Ogbia will get something without – if it is not Obodor? and they have like that in all your LGAs, they have their own systems. So if I have protected you people and supported you people, strengthened you people and you people are in a position to do what is right to protect yourself and you decide to do like this is ..is it my business?.
By February next year I’ll be leaving office as the first 2nd term Governor of this State, who completed his 2nd tenure and with all that I’ve done. Look at, where the new governor will be sitting to work – na me build am, none like it in the whole country, the airport where you’ll be taking to travel to anywhere, who build am? Na me build am. Most of the -if you sick, the hospitals that him and his people will be going to I built them. The schools that they and their relations will be attending most of them – i built them. The universities, two of them in the 2nd term, na me build am. With all this things I am doing, the shoes I’ll be leaving behind my dear colleagues are going to be very big shoes, very big.
In their private moments, I hear (he) was telling one man in Lagos, you know he’s Lagos man, one Yoruba chief and all their friends are Yoruba people, he was telling this man, if I had been Governor I don’t think I would have done up to 20% of what this man has done oh. He was telling the man.
If people get 10% of appointments that I’ve made, they will thank their god. Me I don’t bother myself because the elections is not about me it’s about you people and the future and the future of our state because the moment another Governor emerges by, is it March or April we are doing Congress? By April I don’t think anybody here will return and one of the first decisions they’ll take is to dissolve councils. So you are fighting for yourselves, you are fighting for your survival.
They have not even gotten there look at what they are doing, they are fighting to stop council elections so you should not even get there first. So if I were you when you get back, call all your councillors, infact I think I have to see them. Have I taken a date? No it can’t be today, maybe tomorrow, can we do that?
So if we fix it now the party will invite them. Say it’s a meeting because of the rallies and campaigns. The party here with all of them, all of you will come with your councillors. I’ll still find time to see with you people briefly tomorrow here in this hall because it’s important, because they don’t understand. You people have to fight this primaries coming. Somebody said- a councillorship candidate from Ekeremor. He said oga, this way you are talking don’t even talk like that oh because this primaries is our general elections.
Yes, he said: oga, you are calling us because of this, dont even call us. This primaries is our general elections because it’s about our survival. He said you have selected me and I’m a councillor now. If another Governor comes that’s not from us he’ll just send another person and another person will be selected. I said yes this is a solid politician. So most of you people who don’t know you should know that, and I believe you all know it and you are in control. This is something that-you’re in control, you are the delegates, all of you seated here are you not delegates? And your councillors’ 105 of them are they not the delegates?.so me I will say even- If they like don’t even pay anybody any money, if you like collect the money and commit suicide. Chop their money – then you commit your suicide . Why should you spend money to save your own political career and your survival.
So, I want you all from now on, don’t leave it for only party chairman, don’t leave it for only me, don’t leave it for only party working committee.
As you go back even tomorrow before we meet, meet them, meet your councillors and right now you ‘re supposed to be in charge of even the party at the LGAs; that’s another thing we will discuss because you people must take care of the party chairman and the LGA working committee of the party closely. So I expect that on that day as you are coming to the primaries you’re coming with your delegates, you’re coming with your councillors, your ward chairmen and all the 5-5 per ward delegates and leave the other ones for me for me, the 3-3 ad-hoc delegates don’t worry you’ll see what will happen. I’m in charge we don’t talk much, don’t bother yourself just do your own part.
I think they say one Governor Wike or so will come and chair convention. There’s nothing like that. Wike that is calling people to tell me that “look o he has no hands in this thing Bayelsa people are calling his name that he doesn’t want to be interested oh”. How can, who will listen to him – the party? Anyway the chairman knows, he knows our small influence in the PDP at the national level. There are other leaders we are not alone but they know what we can do. You don’t have any problem.
When they went to court and smuggled one injunction and wrote letter and said we shouldn’t conduct elections , we didn’t even know, it was the National Legal Adviser that was fighting. The whole party is on one side, they said “set aside this thing,This people are rubbish people they want to disturb the governor. We won’t allow it.” That’s why we have set aside all those things and you’re contesting. So when people come to fabricate stories – begin to make people feel.
So I want you people as you are leaving here, you people, far more than any other person, take this primaries as your own general elections because I know this people. If they were for any reason – and they will not succeed – but if they were per chance to succeed the first month by February 14th when they come, the following weeks dissolution of councils, so they appoint SIEC and then do their own elections and I don’t think anybody here except maybe some people who have some secret connections that I don’t know. But I know most of you will be fried, some will even run away and say, Oga where you dey, they will even run to meet me where I am and I’m going nowhere. In my farm in Toru-Orua and Yenagoa that’s where I’ll be.
There’s nobody who’ll be Governor in this state that can do anything to me even in this country. Where the person wan take pass? So it’s about you people, I’ll like you people to take it seriously like your own project.
On my own part very soon you’ll see the direction.I am not indecisive, very soon you will see the direction.I look at the battle, I use to tell chairman something called appreciation of battles. A General studies the battle, you don’t rush, you appreciate the battle. So what I’ve been doing is appreciating the nature of the battle. Who are the enemies and what are the weapons they have, how many are they?
How many are they? Who are their allies ? I have been doing all of that quietly and I did not want to start to say this is my candidate, they would have shot down the person, no be so, ehn? We are experienced people . So now we have opened the floodgate, everybody have gone to buy form, which is good. And you people are seeing them, you are studying them, me I’m also seeing them and studying them, abi? And I’m not only praying, I’m also listening to the state on each of them. I’m listening to the state, so very soon in a closed door session you people will hear from me, ehn?
If you people don’t hear directly from me, you will get the message one way or the other; anyhow you take get the message, na message. Chairman can come and whisper something to you, na message, no be so? Ehn…n. so we have different ways of sending this messages but the bottom line is that we need a governor from the restoration team. So as we get that and I get that to you, I’m listening to people.
Once we do that – all of you from your local government with your delegates and your stakeholders endorse ehn? Gbam…. Endorse, the following day endorse, endorse, as you are coming to convention it is just a coronation! ehn?
All…. this people who are doing winki winki winki we will collapse all of them before that 3rd of September, We will collapse all of them. Any one wey no want to listen, they will come to the convention and fail and when they fail, I will manage them and tell them sorry o, sorry stay here and work with us . That is what we will do. So thank you very much for coming, .just to let you know the battle has now started in earnest, it’s not just local government campaigns, as you are moving, you are moving also with ward delegates and everybody. And you are the field commanders now, you are my field commanders now, you are the restoration field commanders now. So as you start the campaigns all the five, five, per ward are with you for the councilors ehn? And I expect you to come with your troops on the day of convention ehn? There are some areas you may not get all but try and get everybody, where you cannot, try and get clear majority, And those who are not going to follow what you say note their names because there will be congresses in April and these are the people that will stay in offices to do the congresses, they will do the Congress and I will still play a very important role, in government and out of government. So those ones that are not agreeing and proving stubborn, they decide to work with people who have just come into our party as if we who have been fighting battles are fools….. , note their names and we will take them away. We can do so even now but we don’t want to. Let them stay, go and vote for whoever they want and fail. But when we are doing convention last time, next time Congresses, it is this people who will superintend over the congresses with you people in office so you remove all their names because those are the people that will vote your assembly and other people subsequently. So watch the loyalty and tell them the consequences of what they are doing. Alright thank you, so…
Chairman will handle the rest, you will have some money very soon to plan for your campaigns for those of you who are the chairmen in offices like …. you people have some money from the councils na? Yes, so that the local government rallies – you should be able to fund rallies, abi?
I have appointed a new commissioner, have you seen him? OK………even they too have resigned oh….. OK yes oooooh, I mean formally they will at least put that in writing hmmmmm. OK chairman I think what you will do, chairman, deputy and secretary, you people will see me maybe tomorrow morning, so that I can call the Commissioner for Local Government, I can even call him to see you people – call him to see you people because I want to run to my village, then you people can plan how every council can bring small small thing to support. How much will the rally take? Go and plan, so that we can get the councils to approve small thing for all of them. Is OK, sit down, OK chairman thank you very much, thank you.
HSD: Any quick reply before we go out?…..
Chairman: I will like to recognise you as the general of political Parties, (applause) I want to thank you for all the private war itinenary that you have been teaching me, and that has made me very strong. But equally when I am taking those lectures, they are not around, so when I come it is the ones I have learnt from you that me too inject them with………but it can never be the same as yours, and that is why this meetings are very vital, when we come under you at your feet and hear from you, we are strengthened.
Therefore, we want to thank you even for today, there is no body in this room that is still doubting the fact just as you and I discussed in private that we are going to win party primaries, we are going to battle to win the general elections…(aplause) we know it is a battle, and there is no victor that can be declared without a contest, we are ready for it. But for today we want to thank you for calling us.
This is the first time that perhaps some of our newly incoorporated managers at the local government level are having interaction with you, and it is good that they have taken the first dose. This is how we work, that’s why when you see some of us shouting on top of the podium, anywhere on top of the mountain and in the hills,… I keep telling them I know the injections I have taken in the secret that is making me to act that way.
Thank you, your Excellency , thank you for your time, we will relocate back to our lodge and do the needful, this is not the time that we spend so much time talking. It is time for planning and acting. It is therefore on that note I want to thank you for inviting us and all the message you have passed even some that is in your heart that you have not passed, as children that are studying you, we can feel some and we know that the light is very clear and we will win alongside you
But one thing I want to say, there is no body here as far as I’m concerned, at least I know the people that are in this hall, there is nobody here that will disappoint you. Your excellency, I say it, there is nobody here in this place that will disappoint you, and by the way you have raised us and empowered us, and has given us a name, Your Excellency, sir, there is no way as your chairmo, I am going out to cast my vote, that my vote will not drag other votes alongside it… (applause), And every body knows they don’t doubt it that my vote even if it doesn’t speak will go in the direction that Ofuruma pepper had led me to vote, because I don’t own my vote, you own it, it will be casted where you want it to be casted. That is the assurance I want to give you. Thank you so much and God bless us all.
HSD: What people don’t know is that I have different systems, I have different different systems of monitoring people, even conversations, you need to know, so be very careful, very careful of what … and his people are…. They don’t take you from…. They don’t stop you from benefiting a long term . But from now till February 10th, you won’t see them again that’s how they do this thing, they’ll come gbru-gbru-gbru like this, you see, will be …people, people spoil their names, spoil their relationships some will resign from work, and some will be sacked, immediately after this thing, PIAM…. I’m not a politician, I’m a businessman, please don’t call me I’m not a politician, I’m a businessman please don’t call me. That’s how they behave so even from you people.-I don’t want to call names, don’t push me to the level where I will call you out.
I don’t have a problem if you are fraternising with a member of the Restoration Team because I have not given a direction but for you to leave all these people from the Restoration Team and go and align with somebody who came six months ago from the party that fought you then there must be something wrong with you politically, is that not so?
So if there are people like that, they should examine themselves and withdraw completely, because what they are trying to do is an insult to everybody who has been fighting battles to keep this PDP. If we did not win 2015, would there have being PDP in this state? Nooo
(He) is my brother. We don’t have anything, when people come, we just talk. I don’t bring down any Ijaw man. I don’t bring down any Bayelsa man but we don’t have people but on principle, no, no, no it’s not the way to play politics and that’s why I say, I don’t even want to – even money sef we may not – because I will tell the people, you vote and decide whether you want to commit suicide or not, you vote.
But, as chairmo has said, “at all, at all naim be witch” at least there will be small thing because I expect that all these ward people that we have been maintaining, we put them in offices, we have fought battles if people are coming will say,”no don’t call me, you mean my party and my system, there is nobody that’s good enough? It is you? No! No!! No!!! Keep your money”, that’s the rational thing to do but our people are running this way, this way and this way and I say – Ah! But you people – me I’m already -even if I’m not in politics, there is no party in Nigeria that doesn’t recognise me, that will not call me or make me an offer to me and nobody that will be President till ten years time or so that doesn’t know me. I don’t need any party to open any doors, I’m already.
God has been very gracious but the people, the poor people that we are trying to protect, our own people that we are protecting if they don’t know the dangers that these ambitions pose to them, then why should I worry myself?
Whoever comes in will pay me my pension and you know how much my pension is, five million naira a month, that’s what I pay to every former Governor from Alamieyeseigha to Jonathan up till now, from 2012 till now every month, N5 million. Jonathan I added another N5million.(applause)
If I tell you what I do for people that’s why God has never forsaken me. I always do my part -but people can blackmail me, people can in fact, I won’t talk but God knows so any governor who comes will pay me N5 million. Is that not enough for me to live on? I will live a low profile life, simple life. Every morning you come to me, there will be beans, plantain and rice etc.that’s all. You won’t see champagne, you won’t see costly things, my, those my small small things, I don’t play with it so I live my life. Anybody who becomes the governor here will still call me “Aah O boy!” “Where yo dey na, you dey Toru-orua”? Okay, I’m coming to see you.
But the people that are leading; the people that are following me, those who have lives to live politically, they have to be protected. And even you people are very senior people, if you go down you will see the other people following you too. They are relevant because you are relevant; so its a shame. We have to protect them, that’s why I’m doing this otherwise what’s my own?.
All the people who collected form, they are after me. They are begging everybody in the country to come and beg me. They have brought (former President) to me, they have brought (former National Security Adviser) to me. I said no way. I say you people know me na, no way. I can’t abandon people who have worked with me to support somebody who is just coming. If the people themselves, out of their oversabi or lack of sabi they make you win, that’s their own but for governor Dickson to back, no. You have not behaved well politically. I’m not your enemy or you are my enemy but politically, you have not behaved well because you will destroy so many chains of people. You can’t be a leader if you have not been following and supporting people. So, I have made my position very clear even the whole party knows, everybody knows my position is for the people.
Take the message down. You should know what to do.
Okay, thank you.
ADOO! Thank you very much.
