Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha (DSP)

Former Governor of Bayelsa State

Date of Birth: 16/11/1952

Career: Nigerian Air Force, 1974-92; Governor, Bayelsa State,1999-05; Impeached, Bayelsa State Assembly, December 2005.

Commentary: In July 2007, after a protracted trial, Alamieyeseigha was convicted of stealing Bayelsa State funds. He was released soon afterward due to a lenient sentence and time already spent in detention. Before his conviction, Alamieyeseigha had already made a name for himself. Arrested in London in November 2005 on money laundering charges, he was granted bail on condition that he remained in the United Kingdom. Violating the terms, he left the UK dressed, by many accounts, as a woman. His return to cheering supporters was testament to his still considerable support in the state.
Alamieyeseigha perfected many of the methods of intimidation of opponents and recruitment of police and youth organisations to act as foot soldiers at election time, techniques perpetuated by his successor, Chief Timipre Sylva