The Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, is set to pick Chief Joshua Maciver as his running mate for the November 11 governorship election.

Maciver, the leader of the Izon Tukpa Movement from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area came second in the April governorship primaries.

Sylva’s choice of Maciver as running mate confirms our sister publication, Daily Sun’s earlier story that influential members of the party were pushing for a running mate from Southern Ijaw to compensate for the loss of the governorship seat won by David Lyon in November 2019 before his sack by the Supreme Court in February 2020.

Incidentally, Maciver and Lyon are from the same Olugbobiri community in Southern Ijaw local Government Area.

Maciver was a governorship aspirant in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2019 governorship primaries. After his loss he resigned from the party and worked for the victory of Lyon in the governorship election.

After the Supreme Court ruling he went back to the PDP but was back to the APC in 2022 following the multi-million naira oil surveillance contract awarded to ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo’s company, Tantita Security Company.

Maciver, a former local government chairman, heads the operation of the company in Bayelsa State where he has succeeded in stopping massive oil bunkering.(Sunday Sun)