Diri has betrayed Bayelsa to APC, says Dickson; ‘We won’t respond’ — Gov’s aide

By Samuel Oyadongha Yenagoa—Former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has accused his successor, Governor Douye Diri, of surrendering government they built together to a party that never won the state through the ballot. Dickson, who spoke in a statement following his homecoming to Bayelsa, weekend, which witnessed the commissioning of the NDC state secretariat, said the governor’s decision to join the APC amounted to ‘donating’ the state to a party he claimed had never won Bayelsa through the ballot. The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) said he had deliberately refrained from commenting extensively on developments in the state to avoid creating political tension and preserve peace.

He, however, declared that the time had come to make his political position clear, accusing Diri of abandoning the political structure that nurtured and supported his emergence as governor. He said: “Every single one of the people in the current government was nurtured and supported for years by me. ” The former governor recalled that Diri served as his Executive Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff, member of the House of Representatives and Senator before succeeding him as governor. Dickson said his decision to support Diri’s emergence was informed by the need to sustain Ijaw political leadership and promote fairness among the different local government areas in Bayelsa. He alleged that his successor had now turned against those who supported his political journey, accusing the administration of pettiness, propaganda, blackmail and victimisation. “Our victory was donated free of charge to the APC, making all of us overnight opposition members in our own state, in a government we formed, in a governorship I crafted, and an administration we worked hard to put in…