Ex-Bayelsa commissioner: I will never swap certainty for uncertainty

A former Attorney -General and Commissioner for Justice in Bayelsa State, Anthony George-Ikoli said on Saturday he would never swap certainty for uncertainty in his political career.

He also described politics as a service.

George-Ikoli, who was an aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Bayelsa State, spoke with journalists in Abuja.

He is also a member of the PDP National Campaign Councils for Bayelsa and Kogi States governorship elections slated for November 16.

The former Bayelsa Attorney-General insisted that history is on the side of the PDP, adding that the people are not in a hurry to swap the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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He said: “The PDP is a party the people of the South-South and Bayelsa, in general, have a natural historical affinity for, given the inclusiveness of its politics and the nationalistic outlook of the party and the emotional investment they have in the party. Despite the seeming growing influence of the APC in Bayelsa State, I don’t think the people are in a hurry to swap our party for an uncertain opposition party. In 2015, we swapped certainty for uncertainty at the centre and it is clear as day what the results of that experiment have been.

‘’I have been in PDP since 1999 and this is the second time I am contesting elections under our party’s flag. If I didn’t leave the party then, I don’t think it would be prudent to do so now. I detest the politics of convenience and cross carpeting although it would seem there are more than enough cogent reasons for many of us to have left but there is still an argument for many of us who choose to stay and help with the rebuilding of the party.

“I personally believe in man’s innate ability to reform and reinvent himself and as such, the need to rebuild through service is uppermost in my mind. I may not have succeeded in my bid to become governor but I don’t believe that should rob me of my desire to deliver service to my nation.’’

‘’I did rather stay and weather the storm in my party than to jump ship just for the sake of jumping ship. After all, who says there are no issues in other parties as well? Aspirants within the APC are equally in court seeking judicial intervention in their own primaries as well.

“Ultimately, are we here to serve ourselves or are we here to serve the generality of our people? If we are here to serve the generality, does jumping ship serve that purpose? These are the real questions one must answer in the arduous process of decision making.’’

’I believe there was a sense of exclusionism within the party from the onset of the entire process as it seemed only a select group within the party had the anointing of the establishment to contest. This I believe had the unintended consequences of degenerating into an ‘’us versus them’ contest depending on which side of the divide one stood.’’

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