Less than 48 hours to the
inauguration of Chief David Lyon as the new governor of oils rich Bayelsa
State, cracks have emerged in the relationship between him and Minister of
State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.
The crux of Sylva’s grouse with the
incoming governor is the refusal of the latter to allow the minister, who
helped him win the All Progressives Congress (APC) guber ticket, as well as the
election proper, nominate key members of the cabinet. Sylva, a former governor
himself, investigations revealed, was proposing to nominate Lyon’s Chief of
Staff, Secretary to the State government, as well as commissioners of works,
and of finance.
Loyalists of the barely literate Lyon are reportedly opposed to Sylva’s
move to “hijack the government so early in the day”. One told Pointblanknews.com
that he shouldn’t try to cause the kind of trouble he caused when Dr. Good luck
Jonathan was Vice President.
However, one ally of the minister told Pointblanknews.com that such
fears were unfounded as, according to him, such issues wouldn’t have arisen had
Sylva not spent his time and money to ensure Lyon’s emergence.
He said, ” Talk is cheap. The meal is ready and even passers-by are
trooping in to feast and run their mouths without sparing a thought on how the
meal came by. Before Sylva brought Lyon, who was he? Who knew him? Now they
have the guts to whine about appointments”.
One man the minister was reportedly rooting for to be the incoming Chief
of Staff is Professor Seiyefa Birisibe.
A former Dean, Faculty of Clinical Services at the Niger Delta
University in the state, Birisibe had served as one of the campaign managers of
Chief Timi Alaibe, who unsuccessfully sought to be the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) governorship candidate in the last election.
However, no sooner had Alaibe lost to Senator Duoye Diri than Birisibe
ditched him and began to campaign for APC’s Lyon.
Loyalists of the governor elect are
reportedly opposed to allowing Birisibe ” whose allegiance is still hazy”
hold such a strategic post as Chief of Staff.
hold such a strategic post as Chief of Staff.
“The Chief of Staff is like the governor’s alter ego- somebody who knows
the thinking of the governor and so, can act on his behalf. It’ll be very
selfish for Sylva to want to want to impose Birisibe or any other person for
that matter as Chief of Staff,” said an APC chieftain
“Question is, who nominated persons into the government when Sylva was
governor? Birisibe might be considered as commissioner for health, not as chief
of staff,” he added.
The party bigwig
said Lyon was considering either of a former federal lawmaker or a lawyer as
chief of staff.
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