Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has blamed his predecessor, Douye Diri, of turning the politics of the state to the All Progressives Congress (APC) even when the party is said to have failed to secure any electoral victory through votes.
Dickson, who is the Senator representing Bayelsa West, made this allegation in a statement after his arrival in Bayelsa. His return to the state was marked by the inauguration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) state campaign office and secretariat in Yenagoa.
Leading the party nationally, Dickson claimed that he had always stayed out of discussion concerning the political activities in the state in order to avoid tension. But according to him, recent happenings in the state necessitate him stating his stand.
Dickson accused Diri of abandoning the political structure that saw him to the governorship position, stressing that he helped in making their careers.
Dickson said Diri had worked under his government as the executive secretary and deputy chief of staff before he won elections into the House of Representatives and into the Senate.
The ex-governor claimed he sponsored the governorship aspiration of Diri to ensure that the political power of the Ijaws remains sustained and for equal representation of the different local government areas of Bayelsa.
But he alleged that Diri had betrayed those who supported his emergence to the helm of affairs in Bayelsa as governor and accused the governor of engaging in victimization, propaganda, blackmail, and pettiness.
Dickson said Diri’s decision to become a member of the APC had made him and his supporters members of the opposition in a state where they had always controlled the government.
Claiming his political accomplishments, Dickson said APC has not been able to defeat him politically or win any election in Bayelsa State since its emergence as a political party in Nigeria.
The former Governor criticized Diri over his affiliation with the ruling party at the federal level, claiming that nothing tangible was done in terms of infrastructure projects and appointments by the federal government to the benefit of Bayelsa State and the entire Niger Delta. Despite the criticism, Dickson advised his followers not to turn to violence against the governor.
However, Miriki Ebikibina, the governor’s technical adviser on general duties, condemned the comments and advised the former governor to behave.
Ebikibina observed that Dickson also received some level of patronage from politically powerful individuals while rising to fame.
He gave examples such as the former President Goodluck Jonathan who, he observed, was influential in Dickson’s appointment as commissioner for justice and attorney-general before he contested and emerged as a member of the House of Representatives, subsequently becoming the governor.
Apart from the former president, he also cited King A.J. Turner as an example of those who influenced Mr Dickson to become a politician and the PDP flag-bearer.
He urged the senator and his political party (NDC) to engage in issue-based politics rather than personal attacks.
Ebikibina further stated that the performance of the administration of Governor Diri showed that it was goal-driven, hence should not be sidetracked in discussing development of the state by politicians.
