Tuesday March 10, 2003 was a day not to be easily forgotten by the Governor of Bayelsa state, Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha. Apart from being the day his achievements in the state came to the fore, it was the day he was reconciled with his arch political rival, Mr. Timi Alaibe.

It was on the occasion of the flagging -off of his campaign for re-election as governor, and on hand to set the ball rolling was Vice President Atiku Abubakar. The event held at the state mini-stadium, a stone-throw from the Government House, Bayelsa state known as 'Creek Haven'.

On that Tuesday morning, the sleepy town of Yenagoa, which is beginning to wear the look of a state capital, came alive. It shook off its sleepy and rustic nature to assume the ambiance of a town where the sun never sets. As early as six o'clock in the morning, the city was agog. Traditional dancers from different parts of the state and even beyond, and nearby Port Harcourt, regaled visitors and supporters of the governor with their dances and acrobatic displays. Men and women representing different local governments and other sundry groups, took to the streets gyrating to the music that wafted from the gongs and other musical instruments. It was like a carnival as school children, young and old, abandoned all other endeavours to be witnesses to the flagging off of the re-election campaign of one of their illustrious sons-governor Alamieyeseigha who many say has tried to contribute his own quota to the development of the state, and has even promised to deliver more democracy dividends in the state if he wins the second term ticket.

Events that defined the day began very early in the morning. Indeed, it could be said to have commenced the previous evening when the governor left the state capital for Port Harcourt, Rivers state, where he spent the night preparatory to receiving the vice president the following morning.

Atiku, by the official programme released for the event, was scheduled to arrive Port Harcourt airport at about 8.00AM. So, in order not to take chances, Alamieyeseigha, decided to leave about 12 hours ahead of his arrival.

Therefore, in the company of his Rivers State counterpart, Dr. Peter Odili, and Alamieyeseigha (Alami for short) as he is fondly called by his admirers, were on hand to receive Atiku. After a brief airport ceremonies, the duo of Atiku and Alami, including their convoys, left the 'Garden City' to the 'Glory of all Lands'.

Although the vice president was scheduled to flag off the campaign, it appeared that Alami had other things in mind. Desirous of show-casing his performance in office, he unwittingly decided to turn it into a state visit.

A number of projects were lined up for commission by the vice president, and as this was completed, Atiku and his entourage drove straight to the stadium for the occasion to commence in earnest.

The arrival of Atiku in the company of 'home boy' Alamieyeseigha electrified the already charged atmosphere. Dancers of all hues and background who had taken over every available space in the stadium rose in unison to herald the entry of the number two citizen of the country and the number one citizen of Bayelsa state.

As he surveyed the sea of heads that were already seated, Alami only nodded his head in satisfaction. Simultaneously, as if on cue, the entire stadium erupted with sloganeering on the achievement and person of the governor.

Men and women who were draped in wrapper with the face and inscription of the governor dotted the entire landscape of the stadium and the immediate vicinity. The atmosphere was indeed vivacious as it was electric.

Then came the time for the handing over of flags to the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for different elective positions. After candidates to the National Assembly and the state House of Assembly had been handed over their flags in a symbolic gesture signifying that they had officially been given the nod to run for different elective positions, Vice President Atiku was called upon to extend the same gesture to gubernatorial candidate of the party, Alimieyeseigha and his running mate, Dr. Good Luck Jonathan.

When Atiku was asked to do this simple but important symbolic gesture, he first handed the flag to Jonathan to the applause of all present. But when he handed the gubernatorial flag to the governor, the stadium erupted to a thunderous applause.

Being a politician who would maximize every opportunity to political advantage, Atiku seized the moment when he called up Alaibe, easily the greatest rival of the governor, to the dais.

Before then, the story was all over town that the two foes, Alami and Alaibe would be reconciled by the vice president. It was apparent that the no-love relationship between the duo permeated down their supporters, as the faces of those around the stadium vicinity said it all.

However, before the reconciliation proper, Atiku singled out for praise the achievement of Alamieyeseigha in office. The vice president told a story of how he came to Yenagoa in 1991 in the company of late Major General Shah Musa Yar'Adua, and how the state had changed over time.

According to him, during that his first visit with Yar'Adua, they came to Yenagoa via Port Harcourt and spent eight hours with a speed boat. What he was trying to say was that this time around, it took about two hours or less to make it from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa, a situation he said was made possible by the various infrastructure development that had taken place in the state since Alami became the governor.

He concluded by saying that with the creation of Bayelsa in 1996, it took Alamieyeseigha to 'dis virgin' the state, which he referred to as a virgin land.

He paid tribute to the governor for the 'great work he has been doing in the state', adding that "President Olusegun Obasanjo two years ago commissioned two projects, today I have commissioned several projects".

"That is a testimony to handwork. He works like a horse and I pay tribute to him and ask you to support him again", Atiku said, debunking claims by his opponents that he has not performed.

Indeed, Atiku was not just screaming nor was he trying to score cheap popularity.

Apart from opening up the state with the construction of many primary and artery roads in the state capital, Alami's government showcased how it was able to reclaim large expanse of land where the new Government House complex is being built. The complex which comprises the governor's lodge and the deputy governor's lodge, even though still under construction, is an architectural masterpiece.

On his reconciliatory effort which incidentally turned out to be the high point of the occasion, Atiku began like the politician he is, to regale the people with what he has been able to do for their sons. According to him, it was through his singular effort that Chief Charles Dorgu was appointed Chairman of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA). He did not forget to tell them that it was the first time some one from the zone could occupy that position. Atiku also informed his audience that one of their son who is ambassador to Brazil, got there on his recommendation. He crowned it all by saying that Timi Alaibe also got his job at the NDDC on his recommendation. To all these, the audience applauded the vice president, who urged them to continue to vote for the PDP, for Obasanjo and Atiku.

Atiku showed that he is a political grand master when he reconciled the feuding Alaibe and Alami. He said that the move became necessary since the success of the party would be Alaibe's success, a statement so loaded that many interpreted it to mean that after Alami, it could be the turn of Alaibe to occupy the 'Creek Haven'. He eulogized the PDP, describing it as national movement for the 'sustenance of democracy, freedom and liberty'.

Atiku also called on their respective supporters to give peace a chance and work in harmony and not to lose the opportunity offered by the reconciliation.

In his response, Alaibe described the event thus: "It's a great day. On the day my political father is visiting Bayelsa...he has come preaching reconciliation. That preaching is divine and it is for the success of the party", he said, adding 'what you have done is significant and it shows we are brothers'.

The man who savoured the moment was Alamieyeseigha, who immediately ordered his supporters to respect the accord, saying that Alaibe was no longer his enemy. Without even seeking his consent the governor immediately conscripted Alaibe as his campaign manager.

When speaking with newsmen after the rally, Alamieyeseigha gave insight into how his stewardship in the state. He disclosed that the state has become the first to be given an oil prospecting license by the Federal Government.

He spoke on how this can impact on the lives of the people, saying "Since 1958 when oil was discovered in commercial quantity in Bayelsa state we've not been playing our role. For the first time we are going to do this. All the resource control thing we've been talking is about self determination". The governor said the government was motivated to bid for the license because it wants to take part in the productive sector of the economy, with the involvement of technical partners.

"Employment will be generated and we can also earn foreign exchange, so we have a lot of advantages and potentials from this project", he said.

The governor also spoke of having developed a master plan for the state. But in implementing the draft plan, Alamieyeseigha is mindful that land, which is in short supply in the state would be the issue. To this end, he said that when it comes to the issue of land, he is always skeptical and careful.

"The reason is that we are fighting for the abrogation of the Land Use Decree of 1978. So if we are fighting the Federal Government to abrogate that decree, I cannot stay here and take all the land", he reasoned.

He ruled out paying compensation on land in the course of constructing roads, building schools or hospital.

On his critics who contend that there is no meaningful development in the state, Alami said he is always sad when people make such claims.

He is sad because according to him, "when we took over Bayelsa was near ungovernable' citing the menace of Egbesu boys, which is no longer the case now.

He said at that time 'no one can walk the streets of Yenagoa from 5 o'clock in the morning. It was that bad, but now you can go out anytime you like. I have been able to pull off most of these bad boys off the streets, those that are employable were employed, and those not employable were retrained".

Alamieyeseigha thumbed his chest when he stated that he was able to increase the number of civil servants from a paltry 4,800 to 21,300, adding "I am not owing civil servants, I am not owing any bank and work is going on in the state, and it is made possible through prudent management.

Dwelling more on what the financial outlay of the state is like, the governor disclosed that given the rate of construction work in the state, a total of N200million is paid monthly to Julius Berger. Almost an equivalent amount is paid to the dredging company, while recently the sum of N260 million was paid for the development of the State owned University. The rest are paid to civil servants and for electricity consumption, which the people of the state enjoy free.

However, in all these, one thing is clear. The entire opposition which massed against Alamieyeseigha has thinned out. With the reconciliation of the governor and Alaibe, who incidentally was the arrowhead of opposition against the governor, the stage seems clear for a second term for Alami. As things are, there seem to be no opposition against him, therefore leaving the coast clear for his re-election.

But how the 'Governor-General of the Ijaw nation was able to surmount the war waged at the Anti-graft Commission by his opponents, silence the opposition and is now poised to have an easy ride to the State House could be a lesson worth learning by his colleagues who saw themselves in similar circumstance but could not survive it.