A former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) will take over during the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
He stated this on Tuesday while fielding questions from State House reporters after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to solicit support in his quest to return as governor of the oil rich state.
Sylva, a former governor, who served only one term and could not secure a re-election ticket on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2011, said this time, he has garnered enough experience and maturity to bring positive development as governor to Bayelsa State.
The former minister, who used the occasion to unfold his six-point agenda, expressed his readiness to retake his seat on the platform of the ruling APC.
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“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.
