The Chairman of the Central Zone of Ijaw Youth Council, Comrade Bobolaiyefa Owopele, has applauded the people of Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State for rejecting the All Progressives Congress flagbearer in the upcoming governorship election in the state, Timipre Sylva, by shunning his campaign rally on Monday.
Sylva, who is from Brass Local Government Area, was said to have been shocked by the low turn out of his kinsmen to at his rally.
Owopele attributed the low turn out to the people’s way of showing their displeasure on account of Sylva failing to bring development to the area when he was the governor for about five years.
Owolpele said in a statement on Tuesday that what happened in Brass at Sylva’s campaign was an indication that his people were not with him and a crumbling campaign with electoral consequence ahead of theDecember 5 governorship poll in the state.
The youth leader stated that instead of bracing up with the challenge of losing support at home, Sylva’s campaign team went on hyping the event but noted that it was a “logistical nightmare and electioneering disaster”.
He said Sylva did not arrive at the Brass campaign venue until past seven in the evening and was greeted by scanty attendance, mainly of hired women and few teenagers.
According to the IYC leader, people were beginning to realize that the so-called “federal might” Sylva brandishes about is fake after all, necessitating disapproval of the APC candidate’s tactics and rejection among his kinsmen.
Owopele said: “Truth is, the low turnout was as a result of the people’s lack of faith in the candidate and his past now haunting him. It was also due to the huge cost associated with the hiring of boats for their usual hired crowd. The APC candidate is used to hiring crowd for all campaigns in the upland areas and would have them packed in buses numbering about 50 buses at every point as they move about during campaigns.
“But on this occasion, most of the hired crowd declined to join Sylva to Brass for fear of travelling on the high sea with the attendant risk. Since Sylva himself normally hops on helicopter ride, most of his hired crowd demanded for higher pay given the high risk involved. The failure of Sylva’s campaign team to meet their demand coupled with the disenchantment of his people at home resulted in the scanty crowd that turned out in Brass.”
Owopele further noted that democracy is about the people, a situation he contrasted with Governor Seriake Dickson’s campaign which, he said, was usually crowded with genuine supporters who were ready to wait to receive him at all campaign venues just as they spend their own resources to support the campaign.