Hon Henry Seriake Dickson officially launched his ambition to govern the Glory of all Lands exactly 10 days to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in Bayelsa State. Group Politics Editor, FRANCIS AGBO reports.
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Politics was thick in the air last Monday, November 7, 2011 in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State as Hon? Henry Seriake Dickson formally launched his governorship campaign in the state. The occasion held at an open ground along the popular Sani Abacha Express Road. Before the launch, Dickson who is a second term lawmaker representing Sagbama/ Ekeremor Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State in the House of Representatives opened his campaign office located on the Abacha Road.
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In his speech entitled: “Remaking Bayelsa: The Time For Change Is Now” Another “Countryman” Reports For Duty, Dickson who is? the current chairman, Special Duties Committee in the green chamber said he was on a rescue mission to lay a solid foundation in the water-logged state.
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‘‘This is the time to restore the lost glory and dashed hopes of our dear State. Today, I heed your call to offer myself to restore Bayelsa State to its true glory in accordance with its founding principles as the Jerusalem of the entire Ijaw ethnic nationality. Today I publicly affirm to you all, my determination to reconcile all our people, to rally our people together and to lay the foundation for a Bayelsa of our dreams.
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Two weeks ago, I sent a letter to you my elders, leaders, women and youths of Bayelsa, of my intention to enter the gubernatorial race to salvage our dear state from the grip of anarchy, insecurity, bad governance, and reckless abuse of state power and resources without a corresponding sense of honour, responsibility and compassion. In that letter, I set out general principles that would form the basis upon which our development would rest.
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You have demonstrated your desire for change and so we urge you all to come on board and be a part of history, so that when this period is recorded and told in the future, let it be said of you, by your children and generations yet unborn that you saw the drift and the rot and the destruction of our fundamental interests, and you volunteered yourselves in service of our people to protect our tomorrow at great risk and inconvenience. Let history not record you as being on the side of the oppressors of our people who place their personal interests above the common good of our people. So let the change begin now!
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I come reporting for duty with a background of service to the country and to my people. Between 1996 – 2005, I again served variously as pioneer Publicity Secretary, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Yenagoa from 1996-1998, State Chairman, Alliance for Democracy (AD) 1998-2000, National Legal Adviser, Alliance for Democracy (AD) 2000-2002, National Legal Adviser of the? foremost Pan-Ijaw Socio-Cultural Body, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) 2001 -2003. I was also the founding Secretary of the Great Committee of Friends (The Green Movement). In 2006, I served as the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of this State…’’
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He accused the incumbent governor, Timipre Sylva of impoverishing the people and mortgaging the future of Bayelsa State through reckless loans, a development he claimed has made the state the most indebted in Nigeria. While promising to prioritise education, health care delivery and critical infrastructure, Dickson said the Sylva administration has plunged the state into a spiral of senseless killings through the instrumentality of the dreaded Famou Tangbei.? Freddy Ockiya of Ogbolomabiri, Nembe is the most prominent of all the people he said were killed by the outfit.
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The rally was witnessed by a cross section of Bayelsans and a representative of the House of Representatives, Hon Bethel Amadi.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains, supporters and some of the critical stakeholders in the state were on hand to give support to the aspirant. Prominent among them are chairman of National Inland Waterways, King Amalate Jonny Turner, two former PDP chairmen, Chiefs Fred Agbedi and Rufus Osiri and political heavy weight (and cousin to former governor, DSP alamiesiegha), Chief Abel Ebifemowei.
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Others present at the flag off ceremony was the pioneer chairman of PDP, Engr Charles Dorgu, fomer commissioners in the state, Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, Chief Blessing Izagara and Chief Waripamowei Dudafa amongst others.
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Agbedi who is the Director General of Dickson’s Restoration Campaign Organisation commended the PDP for clearing Dickson and three others for the exercise and expressed hope that Dickson will be victorious.? He premised his optimism on Dickson’s track record of service to Ijaw nation and his acceptance by a cross section of Bayelsans.
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He said: ‘‘We are the same people that sponsored Timipre Sylva to be governor in 2007 but as we speak, the anointing has departed from him. The people and the stakeholders of Bayelsa State have deserted him because he has used his five years in office to impoverish our people and sadly too, he has wrecked violence on the people using the disbanded Famou Tangbei so much so that there is? fear and threat to life in the once peaceful Bayelsa. In Dickson we have a paradigm shift and Bayelsans and Ijaw nation can not wait to have him as governor come 2012’’
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Agbedi who was a former member, House of Representatives in the Ibrahim Babangida Military regime called on the public to disregard claims by Sylva that he has been endorsed by President Goodluck Jonathan. He said Jonathan assured him that he will not anoint any candidate and wondered why the incumbent governor was dropping Jonathan’s name. He advised Sylva to count the president out of the politics of Bayelsa State. He accused Sylva of stifling internal democracy in the party and running the party as his personal estate.
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Meanwhile Osiri said he was supporting Dickson? because he is a brilliant man who has really made the people of Bayelsa state proud at the home front and at the federal level going by the quality of his intelligent contributions on the floor of the green chambers. ‘‘We have invited him to come and salvage the state from the brinks of underdevelopment’’ Osiri added.?
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Ebifemowei said ‘‘Dickson is a thorough breed who has paid his dues and has the capacity to unite the people and develop the state. The current administration in the state is retrogressive and we want to breath a fresh air and Dickson symbolises this.’’ Ebifemowei said Dickson’s popularity is underscored by the fact that his nomination form was purchased for him by PDP members and elders of Bayelsa State.
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As Dickson’s supporters were enjoying his canary song, Sylva went spiritual. He assembled his loyalists and supporters at the famous Peace Park in Yenagoa to pray for peace in the state especially in the November 17 PDP primary. Sylva had two weeks earlier flagged-off his campaign but the embattled governor’s fate still hangs in the balance as his party is yet to clear him for the election.
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If Sylva loses out, he will be the second governor to ever lose his party’s re-election ticket after Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju of Anambra State. If Dickson becomes his party’s candidate and goes ahead to win the February 2012 general election, he will be the third member of House of Representatives to be so elected since 1999. The first was the current Benue State Governor, Hon Gabriel Suswam and his Zamfara State counterpart, Alhaji Abdulazeez Yari Abubakar. Both men moved from the green chamber to the coveted seat of governor. Unlike Dickson who is still in his second term, the duo had enjoyed their full terms before throwing their hats into the ring.???
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