- Former Minister Timipre Sylva confident APC will win Bayelsa’s governorship election, seeks President Tinubu’s support for his candidacy
- Sylva highlights his experience, maturity, and six-point agenda for positive development in Bayelsa State
Timipre Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win the governorship election in Bayelsa State on November 11, 2023.
He made the remarks on Tuesday while fielding questions from State House reporters following a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja to seek support for his bid to return as governor of the oil-rich state.
Sylva, a former governor who served only one term and was unable to secure re-election on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform in 2011, said this time he has gained enough experience and maturity to bring positive development to Bayelsa State as governor.
The former minister, who used the occasion to lay out his six-point agenda, expressed his willingness to retake his seat on the ruling APC platform.
We are set to take over Bayelsa, I came to inform Mr. President and take advice from him, he said.
Sylva said:
I have been a governor, and I’ve been part of the politics of Bayelsa from inception. So, I know Bayelsa and Bayelsa knows me.
You know also, in 2019 we won the election. The governor that is there today is a governor that won only two local governments in that election. But unfortunately, you know what happened.
Even previously in 2015, we won the election. The Southern Ijaw results were cancelled and were redone and of course, you know what took place at a time.
So, we are fully on ground. APC is the party on ground in Bayelsa State and I can assure you that we can do it again and we will do it again.
He also commended President Tinubu for “a great job he’s doing”, especially on the removal of fuel subsidy, which previous administrations, including his own, could not do.
I believe that we are on the verge of an economic turnaround in this country.
We need a president who understands the economy and I believe that we have one now. That’s really part of what we discussed, Sylva said.