The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bayelsa State Governor

  • Nobody can take Bayelsa governorship by violence, says Dickson

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, on Saturday vowed that nobody would take over the state’s Government House by force at the forthcoming November gubernatorial election.

    Dickson further proclaimed that the people of the state would never elect a godless person as their next governor.

    He spoke at the conclusion of a three-day prayer and fasting programme organised by the state for the 2019 gubernatorial election at the Ecumenical Centre, Yenagoa.

    Read Also: Bayelsa 2019: Audu Ogbeh endorses Lokpobiri for APC ticket

    The governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said that the position of governor was not for those who were poised to grab it by violence but for a person who appreciated the place of God in human affairs.

    He said the state would never again experience governance by cult elements, crude and brutal human beings, whose aim is bloodletting, killings and violence.

    Dickson restated his call to the people of the state to resist cultists who could use the temptation of political offices to lure the youths in dangerous occult practices.

  • Dickson: Security agencies, INEC colluding with APC to produce fake results

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has accused the Military and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials of colluding with a former governor of the state to churn out fake results in the state House of Assembly election.

     Dickson made the accusation while speaking with journalists shortly after casting his vote in his home town, Toru Orua, Sagbama Local Government Area.

    A statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, quoted the governor as saying that federal agencies deployed to the state were planning to foist an unpopular political, party, the APC, on the state.

    According to the governor, reports at his disposal indicated that several PDP members were prevented from voting in various communities including, Peremabiri, Okpoama and  Bassambiri.

    The governor stressed that the APC was resorting to brigandage because it lacked the support base to win election in Bayelsa.

    The governor, who described the development as barbaric, criminal and undemocratic, flayed the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state for his failure to enforce the electoral guidelines.

    He said that it was a sad commentary on the nation’s security apparatus that it had failed to carry out its constitutional responsibility to provide the conducive environment for the citizens to cast their votes to elect their representatives and leaders.

    The governor said that reports at his disposal indicated that soldiers carted away electoral materials in Epebu, Olodi and Ayakoro in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

    He called on the people to remain calm in the alleged face of unwarranted intimidation and harassment by soldiers, he assured that his administration would take appropriate measures to seek redress.

     Dickson further expressed regret over the militarisation of the Niger Delta states and urged all well- meaning Nigerians to stand up in defence of democracy.

    He said: :”We have major challenges in this state arising from militarisation and clear failure on the part of the agencies to do their jobs as it should be.

    ‘In Peremabiri in Southern Ijaw, several peopple, almost a thousand people couldn’t vote as they are now IDPs hiding in Yenagoa and other places.

    “Criminals supported by the Nigerian military services have held the community hostage.

    “Some security personnel who managed to get to Peremabiri were turned back and you ask me whether we have a nation within a nation.

    “In Bassambiri, PDP leaders and followers were pushed out by force and they are now IDPs in Ogbolomabiri, Yenagoa and other communities.

    “This is because the APC knows that they are not on ground in this state so they want to win by force.

    “I have just received an alert that in Ayama Constituency, military officials are trying to overpower electoral officers to cart away materials so that they can write any result.

    “And the REC and his team in our state have not demonstrated courage, professionalism, competence and respect for their own guidelines, all because they want to crown APC in Bayelsa by force.”

     

  • Dickson visits family of PDP leader killed in electoral violence

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, yesterday visited the family of the late Seidougha Taridi, the Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was killed by gunmen in army uniform during the last elections to condole with the family.

    Dickson’s Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, in a statement said that the governor was accompanied in the visit by top officials of the Bayelsa State Government and the leaders of the Bayelsa State Council in the visit.

    In the entourage of the Governor were the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Kombowei Benson, PDP State Chairman, Moses Cleopas, winner of Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency, Prof Steve Azaiki, and winner of Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Douye Diri, Commissioner for Agriculture, Doodei Week, Special Adviser on Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Douye Douglas-Naingba, among others.

    Dickson said that the state government, the PDP and the state were saddened by the gruesome murder of the PDP Ward Leader in the community by men in Army uniform feared to be soldiers.

    He described Taridi’s death as shocking and painful saying it was a needless case of cold-blooded murder of an innocent man, who was not involved in any incident near a polling unit but was killed in his own house in his toilet by soldiers.

    He said that Taridi’s killing was not just cold-blooded but also a collective assault on the Bayelsa and her people.

    He stressed that the late Taridi was in his house when soldiers were invited to gun him down, and a Government House Photographer, Reginald Dei, who survived the attack.

    He assured the grieving family of the determination of the government to ensure that those, who perpetrated the heinous acts were brought to justice.

    The governor said that his administration inaugurated a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to formally investigate and document the violence that rocked the elections in parts of Bayelsa for posterity.

    He said: “We grieve with all of you and the entire Oweikorogha community, the party and the entire state grieves with you because this gruesome cold blooded murder shouldn’t have happened.

    “There was no need for it. He was not fighting with anybody, he was not armed in any way, was never near even a polling station, he was not by way near electoral materials. He was in his own house, in his parlour and people came, they were invited, soldiers were invited to gun him down in the privacy of his own home.

    “This is not just a gruesome act of terminating the live of a promising young man, it is a collective assault on our state and that is why I have led this delegation to personally come to condole with you, his father, wife, children, brother and sisters and all other members of the Taribi family.

    “And we again state our resolve to bring the perpetrators of this gruesome murder, cold blooded murder to book in any way we can. I want to thank you all for your courage.”

    Read also: How INEC ‘rebuffed’ PDP’s attempt to stop Buhari’s victory

    Also speaking, family Spokesman, Mr, Temple Igunikeke, gave a detailed account of how the Taridi and the Government House Photographer were shot inside the house.

    According to him, two men whose identities he gave as Ogili and Thankgod, led the men in army uniform to the Taridi’s residence where the deceased was resting to carry out the cold-blooded murder.

    Igunikeke who spoke in the presence of the father and widow of the deceased, said that Taridi and Dei were resting in the house after voting to await the outcome of the election when the two men led the assailants to the residence to shoot them.

    He called on the government and the relevant agencies to investigate the gruesome killing of Taridi and the shooting of Dei, to ensure that those involved in the murder are brought to justice.

    He said: “I wish to inform you that in which ever form they try to style the way they killed my nephew only one thing counts, the truth. We had finished elections and we were counting and there was no single event anywhere and as the leader that led us, he needed to rest a little and take back the votes to Oporoma and he was in his home with our dear brother, the photographer of government house .

    “No single Oweikorogha man will attest to the fact that there was anything near what they have done, that was expected. Nobody was there, and, of course, he had the right to remain in his house and they came, Ogili and ThankGod manifested in the toga of the salient saying in the bible that the enemy came to kill,steal, and destroy.

    “In your presence as the amiable Governor of this state that has taken us this far, I want to pledge before you that blood that cries for vengeance. Let the blood of Seidougha  also cry for vengeance. I want to thank and bless you and the government for the second time that you have come here.”

     

  • Dickson, APC trade words over election violence

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding the killings and violence which characterised Saturday’s elections.

    Dickson, who addressed reporters at the Government House in Yenagoa, lamented that at least three persons – one in Nembe-Bassambiri and two in Southern Ijaw – were killed, with many others injured.

    The governor alleged that security agencies, especially the Army, colluded with APC leaders to kill members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    According to him, thugs loyal to APC unleashed mayhem on polling units under the watch of soldiers. The governor particularly accused Chief Timipre Sylva, a former National Deputy Publicity Secretary of APC Yekini Nabena and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, of leading assaults against voters.

    According to him, soldiers shot sporadically throughout Friday night. “The shooting continued in the morning while the thugs abducted INEC officials and took them to a hotel where they thumb-printed all the ballot papers meant for the seven wards in Nembe-Bassambiri,” he added.

    The governor, who alleged that the APC was making efforts to transmit “the unlawful results” to INEC, appealed to the commission to reject the overtures since no elections held in Nembe-Bassambiri.

    He urged the people of Nembe-Bassambiri to rise against the development, and promised to lead a protest against attempts to subvert and undermine their will.

    But Brambaifa and Nabena denied the allegations, saying they were never in breach of the electoral process. Nabena said he was never arrested with arms, and asked the governor and other persons making the allegations to present the weapons found on him by security agents.

    “If I were arrested with arms, it is easier for them to show the arms in my possession. The governor and his people in the PDP were the ones who stockpiled armed in every local government area,” he said.

    Brambaifa through his media aide, Ebiakpor Barley, dissociated himself from the incident at Agbere, saying he had no reason to disrupt an electoral process.

    The APC also accused Dickson of raising false alarm to conceal his own violent attitude at the polls.

    A statement by the Publicity Secretary, Doifie Buokoribo, in Okpoama-Brass, said: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State is disappointed, but hardly surprised by the outrageous remarks of Governor Seriake Dickson concerning Saturday’s elections. Dickson accused the APC of sponsoring violence, without any proof, even by his own admission.

    “We have always known that crying wolf is a fancy act performed with outrageous ease by Dickson. But accusing APC of violence after openly unleashing his security strike force, Operation Doo Akpo, to intimidate the electorate is the height of indecency.

    “Dickson’s character of raising false alarm to try to cover his political machinations is known to all, and we are happy the people won’t believe him. But to set the record straight, APC and its leaders were not involved in violence during or after the elections.”

  • Dickson, APC leaders’ trade words on electoral violence, killings 

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, Monday accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding the killings and other forms of violence that occurred in the state during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Briefing journalists in Government House, Yenagoa, Dickson lamented that at least three persons, one in Nembe-Bassambiri and two in Southern Ijaw, were killed with many people across the state sustaining injuries.

    The visibly angry governor alleged that security agencies especially troops of the Nigerian Army, colluded with the APC leaders to kill the victims, who were members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Read Also:Lokpobiri to Dickson: stop linking us to electoral violence

    He said thugs loyal to APC unleashed mayhem on polling units across the state under the watch of soldiers adding that troops were responsible for the act of terrorism against innocent voters by thugs.

    The governor particularly accused a former Governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, a surveillance contractor, a former National Deputy Publicity Secretary, APC, Yekini Nabena and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, of leading assaults against voters in the state.

    He alleged that Sylva and the surveillance contractor in connivance with soldiers unleashed pre-election violence on Nembe-Bassambiri by shooting into the community throughout Friday night.

    He said the shooting continued in the morning while thugs loyal to them abducted INEC officials and took them to a hotel where they thumb-printed all the ballot papers meant for the seven wards in Nembe-Bassambiri.

    He said INEC in the state had done nothing about it despite text messages sent to the Resident Electoral Commissioner by one of the INEC officials abducted by the thugs.

    The governor alleged that the APC was making efforts to transmit “the unlawful results” to the INEC and appealed to the commission to reject the overtures since according to him no elections held in Nembe-Bassambiri.

    He asked the people of Nembe-Bassambiri to rise against the development and promised to lead a protest against attempts to subvert and undermine the will of the people.

    The governor further alleged that Brambaifa came with about 50 soldiers to disrupt elections in Agbere, adding that they deliberately scattered all the votes when they saw they were losing.

    Dickson claimed that Nabena was arrested with arms at Odi by soldiers but was later released after security agencies received orders from above.

    He said: “I am telling the people of Bassambiri not to accept this and they have my support. Bassambiri has to be freed. I am calling on the leaders of Bassambiri not to allow this nonsense to persist in that proud land. For us we will not accept this.

    “I have had cause to issue several statements on this. I will lead demonstrations and protests aimed at vindicating the democratic rights of the people of Bassambiri. I shall do so. I call on the REC to drop his lilly-liver and wear the garb of an electoral umpire in the state.

    “Because if you allow Sylva to take several electoral materials, lock the place down by force of illegal arms with soldiers and others conniving with them, then what you are telling politicians is that votes are not important”.

    He said there were efforts by thugs loyal to the APC to storm the Sagbama collation centre and manipulate the results in his local government areas.

    On the killings, he promised to set up a judicial commission of enquiries to look into the roles played by leaders and security agencies in the elections.

    But he added: “A preliminary report that I have indicated that they were killed by soldiers. They were not killed by thugs. The chieftain of our party who was in house waiting for the results to be collated and announced but an APC leader who had access to solders went and pointed at them and they just shot them.

    “I believe that the full circumstances will be unraveled. But I feel very sad. Nobody should die in an election. If you defeat my candidate, I will even congratulate you. We are not enemies to kill ourselves. It’s so sad.”

    The governor, however, praised the electoral process in Brass and Ekeremor, saying for the first time in the history of the state, the people were allowed to cast their votes in peaceful atmosphere.

    In their reactions Brambaifa and Nabena denied the allegations against them by the governor saying they were never in breach of the electoral process.

    Nabena said he was never arrested with arms and asked the governor and other persons making the allegations to present the weapons found on him by security agents.

  • Dickson orders monarchs to sign peace pacts with candidates 

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has directed traditional rulers and chairmen of Community Development Committees (CDC) to hold peace meetings with political stakeholders and party candidates to ensure violence-free elections in the state.

    Dickson said the community leaders should sign peace pacts with the candidates and their parties to confine their activities within the outcome of the meetings.

    The governor in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, further called on the paramount rulers to be vigilant to ensure that strange faces were not harbored in their communities during the period of the election.

    Dickson stressed that the state would not allow the influx of strange faces brought in as political thugs to foment crisis during the election.

    He said: “Based on the outcome of the State Security Council meeting, all paramount rulers, CDC chairmen are directed to hold peace meetings with candidates and party leaders in their various communities, particularly those that normally have political violence. We don’t want violence in any community because of the elections in the state.

    “They should call the politicians in their areas, and candidates and then get binding undertakings from them. I am directing them to sensitize communities to reject any strange or unknown face brought in as thugs by any candidate or politician to disturb the peace of the communities.

    “The traditional rulers and CDC chairmen are directed to mobilize their communities to ensure that only those who are registered voters from their communities are harbored in their communities for purposes of this election; no unknown faces by any political party will be tolerated. We stand for peace, we must have a culture of voting peacefully.”

    Dickson also said that it was important for the people to recognise that election as a civilian operation that requires the police and civil forces to play their assigned responsibility while the military operates at the outer corridor.

    He explained that the military, who could be assigned the responsibility of escorting sensitive electoral materials because of the terrain, should neither handle electoral materials nor intimidate voters.

    “Our people should know that by the laws of this country, the duty of the military is to be at the outer corridor. Election is a civil operation, with the police and other civil forces playing their constitutional roles, while the military because of our terrain are given support services to escort materials. They are not to handle any material, they are not to intimidate anybody”.

  • ‘Dickson’s airport ‘ll attract votes to Bayelsa PDP’

    A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Reuben Okoya, on Wednesday expressed optimism that projects embarked upon by Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson especially the airport project would attract votes to the party in the state.

    Okoya, a frontline PDP governorship aspirant in 2015, insisted that PDP had done very well in the state over the years and deserved victory in the forthcoming elections.

    Speaking in Yenagoa, the state capital, Okoya said he was particularly happy that the governor made it possible for the first airplane to land in the state describing it as one of the greatest achievements of the PDP government.

    He said: “I am proud of the work that the governor had done to ensure that we get an airport in Bayelsa state, so we must commend him and the PDP for that achievement.

    Read Also: Polls: No life, property would be lost in C/River, Ayade assures

    “Generally, airports are federal projects but the state government led by Governor Dickson decided to take it upon himself to ensure that we have an airport.

    “The benefits of airports are immeasurable; some are intangible you can not feel them. Driving to Port Harcourt everyday you want to fly, is a tough thing to do.

    “So, those of us who fly to Abuja, Lagos consistently will be able to drive 30 to 20 minutes to our airport and fly. Let us commend the PDP. If for no other reason Bayelsa should vote for PDP just for this airport accomplishment”.

    Okoya said he went round the state to campaign for the candidates of the PDP and appealed to voters not to experiment with a new party in the coming elections.

    “PDP has done very well for Bayelsa state, so PDP needs to keep ruling and running Bayelsa state. The success of the party needs to be rewarded by people coming out to vote for PDP en masse.

    “The record of achievement is all over the state. You can see it everywhere, I don’t want to go into details. But I want to employ the people to please vote for PDP for continuity, for success.

    “Let’s not experiment the new parties because we don’t know them very well. Let’s take what we have and try to make it better because there is no family that is perfect. There are always issues, debates, disagreement but ultimately when family sit down together we can always come together and make progress and success”.

  • Alaibe returns to PDP with supporters 

    A former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe, on Friday returned to his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with his supporters.

    Other APC chieftains, who defected alongside the former NDDC boss, are former Secretary to Bayelsa State Government (SSG), Gideon Ekeowei, onetime Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Chief Keme Prefa, ex-Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Council, Barnabas Edure, former Executive Secretary, SUBEB, Rhodesia Whyte and former state lawmakers including Nelson Belief.

    Read Also:Dickson is committed to Ijaw cause, says Alaibe

    Receiving Chief Alaibe in Government House Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson noted that the defection of Alaibe and his teeming followers signified the end of the APC in the state.

    He further said the defection justified his earlier claim that the APC lacked capacity to win any election in the state as its leadership brazenly demonstrated lack of interest in the welfare and development of the state.

    According to the governor, Bayelsa remains the only PDP state that has re-elected its governor defeating federal might since 2015 when it became an opposition party in the country.

    While reiterating the need for people of the state and Ijaw nation to embrace the PDP, Dickson stressed that no well-meaning and decent person would identify with the other party because of the high level of criminality and falsehood associated with it.

    He said: “The APC in Bayelsa is a party of criminals, cultists and terrorists. PDP has the majority of the good and decent patriotic people. I used to say there are few APC members in Bayelsa that are good and patriotic. Now, you can imagine the few good ones have now left. So, the APC in Bayelsa is completely a party of criminals, cultists and terrorists.

    “When we come to campaign we will wait for them to tell us the roads and bridges from Abuja that they have brought to this state, to show us the major appointments, benefits and patronage that they deceived this good and decent people to go to their dry party that doesn’t mean well for our people. The APC clearly is being folded up in Bayelsa with all of you leaving.”

    Dickson who congratulated Chief Alaibe and other defectors for their decision to dump the APC assured them of their full integration to the PDP.

    He said that a rally would soon be organized to formally receive them into the PDP.

    “We are here to formally receive and welcome you back home to your party and I have told the chairman and the political desk working with your team that we will organise a formal reception to receive you because you are a big fish. You cannot come into the PDP and people will not know you have come. So what is happening today is a prelude to your formal reception.

    “We were pained when you left at a time we needed you most but all of that is history. What is important is what is ahead of us and I want to assure you that you are all valued leaders in the party once again,” he added.

    In his remarks, Alaibe, described PDP as the party of the Ijaw people.

    Alaibe said that all the political positions he held were facilitated by the PDP which informed his decision to leave the “wilderness” to return to the PDP to support Governor Dickson in the interest of the state.

    He saluted the efforts of Dickson for his administration’s dogged commitment not only to the cause of the Ijaw nation but also to the development of the state and maintaining a disciplined PDP.

    “PDP for me as an individual is home. My political life was defined by the PDP. My political public service, work and all the political positions that I have held were facilitated by the PDP and for a lot of us here, it was the PDP. So for us, PDP is home. It is a good-come-back home.”

    “I want to thank you for some of the fantastic projects and programmes you have implemented in Bayelsa including this state of the art office for the people of Bayelsa State. I want to thank you for the continuous commitment to the Ijaw Nation. The commitment that has inspired some of us to continue to remain as a people in the space called Nigeria.

    “We want to assure you that at some point in the course of our political life, just like a child will not know the richness of his mother’s soup until he tastes his neighbour’s soup, we have gone out there and we have tasted our neighbour’s soup, and we have made comparison and our own soup, the soup you pilot is sweeter. And that’s why we are here.”

    Also speaking, Chairman of the State PDP, Mr. Moses Cleopas, described Chief Alaibe’s return as a show of patriotism and love for Bayelsa state.

    He assured Alaibe and others who defected that they would be given a sense of belonging to enable them to contribute effectively to the success of the PDP.

    “We are receiving you with our spirit, soul and body. It is our belief that you are coming to add value to this party and not with any fear that you shall by any way make the party less of what it is today.

    “You are coming into a reformed PDP where everyone is on the same side.”

  • Dickson to establish cancer foundation to immortalise mother 

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson Thursday promised to establish a cancer foundation in memory of his late mother, Gold Coast Dickson.

    Dickson underscored the need for all to join in creating the necessary awareness about cancer that had ravaged many lives.

    Dickson made the call when the State Executive Council members led by the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd), paid him a condolence visit at his country home, Toru Orua in Sagbama local government area.

    He said the foundation would principally screen people and create greater awareness on the dangers associated with the scourge, among others.

    A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Francis Ottah Agbo, quoted Dickson as saying that, friends and other well-meaning individuals would be invited to support the worthy cause.

    Dickson said he lost his mother to cancer and expressed sadness over her departure, describing her as her confidant, whose supportive role particularly in his upbringing and political life would remain indelible.

    He referred to his mother as a humble, kind hearted, prayerful and an unseen major force that saw him through many political battles.

    She noted that her death created a major vacuum in the Dickson family, the Toru Orua, Angiama communities and the state at large.

    The governor also expressed gratitude to his deputy and the entire members of the executive council for their support in keeping the forte in his period of trial.

    He said: “It’s clearly a trying time for me, the Toru Orua, Angiama communities and all those who came across her. My mum was not just a mother; she was my elder sister, confidant, and biggest cheer leader.

    “At the end of every morning devotion, she gave me a motherly hug and pronounced blessings morning after morning. I have been through many political battles and no one has had tougher political battles than me in this state.

    “My mum has been an unseen major force that has helped me through such battles. Her sudden departure has clearly left a major vacuum in my family, the Toru Orua community where she lived for well over 60 years. The community will miss her as we mourn her passing.”

    In his remarks, Jonah said they were in Dickson’s hometown to identify with him in his moment of grief, describing the death of one’s parent as a major loss.

    He said God blessed Mrs. Dickson because she produced the governor of the state, who  made tremendous impact, not only in the state, but the Ijaw nation and Nigeria as a whole.

    He also acknowledged Dickson’s exemplary leadership qualities and the significant contributions and positive impact he has made both at state and national levels.

    A minute silence was observed in honour of late Mrs. Goldcoast Dickson.

    Other sympathizers, who also paid condolence visit to Governor Dickson in Toru Orua were, members of the State House of Assembly, the Governing Council of the Niger Delta University, Amassoma among others.

  • 2019: PDP will field only popular candidate, says Dickson 

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson on Thursday said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would field only popular candidates in 2019 general elections.

    The governor called members of the party to work together in building a cohesive and united PDP ahead of the elections.

    He warned party faithful against engaging in anti-party activities that could undermine PDP’s fortunes at the poll.

    Read Also:PDP Reps ‘to prevent’ Saraki’s removal

    Dickson according to a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS) spoke at a consultative meeting with stakeholders of the PDP in Government House, Yenagoa.

    Dickson warned that anti-party activities were capable of affecting the chances of the PDP adversely.

    He said if the PDP must win all elective positions from the state to the national levels, members must learn to build consensus with the party’s leadership in the state.

    Describing the meeting as a family affair, Dickson maintained that the party remained supreme and called on all to place the PDP’s interest above personal ambitions to enable them succeed in the forthcoming elections.

    The governor also pointed out that the party should take great care in selecting candidates that could win elections at all levels.

    He said the way of politicking by members of the PDP should change to reflect the opposition status of the party.

    He insisted that the party’s success or failure depended largely on their actions and comments about their government back home.

    He said: “In the last two and half years, things have not been the way we have known them to be. In 2015, your party and your state have been in opposition, with the kind of government that you all know is at the centre.

    “Yet, we have all managed to do what we have done in very trying circumstances and in an uncharted territory.

    “There is no other governor of this state that has that experience of leading a party to a battle when you are in opposition. And managing stability in the party, state and the government.

    “I thank you all for the support and the prayers of all of you that have enabled me to lead the government of our party and also thank the state PDP chairman and Executive members for the stability in the party coordinated by experienced party leaders that have kept our party alive.

    “For the first time since inception, our party is in opposition and that means that within the party, our way of politicking has to change to reflect the fact that you are in the opposition.

    “And we need to know that our party’s chances of success or failure depend on your actions and comments publicly about your government back home.

    “In the end, it is not you that is bigger than a system or government so you should proudly own the achievements of your government. In the end, it is not you that is bigger than a system or government so you should proudly own the achievements of your government.

    “You want to spoil your own government even more than the opposition. That kind of evil politics has to stop. What they don’t know, is that, whatever they want to be and when we meet at the primary level, it is the strength of the party and government here led by me that you are going to battle with. That’s the reality.

    “So it is amateurish for you to start politicking by attacking your own government and a government that everyone is celebrating. In what area have we not tried our best? You can’t solve all the problems of a people and of a state or a nation in 8 years though.

    ” In the last two and half years, we have been concentrating on working even when they bring issues, we brush it aside and concentrate on the work and that’s why you have these showings in all sectors.

    “At the end of the day, people will judge us not by what other people didn’t do but what we have done. We are now getting to the stage of politicking where from the other side, they will see that there is a government and a party that is ready for them.

    “From now on,  I will be interacting on how to build consensus in the local government areas for the various elective offices. I want you to take charge of the processes.

    “I prefer the situation where the people themselves take ownership of our candidates. I frown against personal sentiments that will rob us of good candidates; we will overrule and override that. We want to support people that can win elections freely and fairly and such candidates should be able to understand and respond to challenges”.

    Earlier, the State Chairman of the Party, Mr Moses Cleopas expressed optimism about PDP’s victory in the 2019 general elections and urged political appointees, who are prospective aspirants to resign on or before 15th August, 2018.

    According to Mr Cleopas, 4th to 24th August is slated for the sale of forms for state and national assembly elections, while screening of aspirants would hold on the 27th of this month.

    The PDP Chairman, who called on would be aspirants to exhibit the spirit of sportsmanship before, during and after the elections, announced the 15th and 19thof September this year, as dates for the primaries for the state and national assembly elections.