They used to be allies, but now, they seem to have fallen apart. What happened to the relationship between former President Goodluck Jonathan and Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson? Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, traces the genesis of their face-off?
THERE is fear in Bayelsa State that the alleged power struggle between former President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may threaten the party’s fortunes in the 2019 general elections.
Insiders loyal to the governor have alleged that the ‘face-off’ could be traced to the bid of the former president to determine who will occupy important political seats in the state, especially the governorship seat. They said Jonathan’s passionate interest in the forthcoming elections in his home state is the first phase of his planned return to active politicking at the national level.
The Nation investigation shows that the disagreement between the former President and the governor can be traced back to early January 2016 when Jonathan’s men were accused of mobilising to frustrate the election of the then PDP candidate, Governor Dickson, during the rescheduled governorship election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Before 2016, Dickson was a noticeable political ally of Jonathan. A source close to the two political leaders said “their political alliance dated back to the days when Jonathan was the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State. When he became the governor of the state, Dickson was one of his henchmen. The relationship deepened when Jonathan became Vice President and later the President of the Republic of Nigeria.”
We learnt that all through Jonathan’s tenure as president, the relationship blossomed and Dickson, backed by Jonathan, rose through the legislature and emerged the governor of Bayelsa State on the platform of PDP, then under the leadership of Jonathan.
But the intrigues of 2015 General Election and its aftermath changed the texture of the political relationship of the two PDP leaders. For them and many of their close associates, it was indeed, a period of change, when sudden defection of politicians from one political party to the other left sour tastes in the mouth of old associates. Perhaps more than in any other state, in Bayelsa, Jonathan’s home state, the effect was more, as longtime allies became mortal political enemies, especially following the defeat then President Goodluck Jonathan, in the presidential election. The enmity manifested in the suspicion of political allies, a development that was further fueled through grave allegation of betrayal and counter allegation. In fact, we gathered that soon after the defection of some prominent PDP chieftains, like Senator Clever Ikisikpo (Bayelsa-East), who represented the former president; Chief Ikiogha Diekivie, a former Chief of Staff, Government House and Jonathan’s close ally from Yenagoa; a former Commissioner for Lands and alleged confidant of Jonathan; Furoebi Akene; a surveyor and former commissioner under Jonathan and Bishop Deggi Eremienyo of FERMA, etc., from PDP to APC, Dickson’s associates alleged that Jonathan’s hand was behind the worrisome development. They also alleged that the former President’s wife, Patience, brokered a peace meeting between former Governor Timipre Sylva and a former militant leader, Ateke Tom, a meeting they said was meant to stop Dickson.
By late January 2015, diligent observers noted the crack in the political family, especially when Dickson banned a prominent pro-Jonathan group, Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) and its activities in Bayelsa State.
A statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, had announced the proscription of TAN at a meeting with flag bearers of the PDP about 30 days to the presidential election.
He accused TAN of “promoting subversive activities and inciting crisis and divisions within the PDP in the state,” and ordered members of the group, headed by a former Deputy Governor of the state, Werinipre Seibarugu,”to move their activities elsewhere.”
According to him, PDP in the state, and not any other group, was the only recognised political platform saddled with the responsibility of leading the President’s campaign in the state with him (governor) as the leader. He added that “the activities of TAN do not seem to serve the purpose for which it was created in the state,” and that “TAN and some members of its top hierarchy have become tools of subversion, creating needless rancour, acrimonies and division.” So, “the government and the PDP in the state will no longer tolerate their actions,” Dickson said.
Jonathan’s men fired back immediately, warning Dickson that he lacked the powers to ban it from the state.
They also condemned a statement issued by the Bayelsa Youth Vanguard (BYV) which also banned the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, from accompanying her husband to campaign in the state.
The group, in statement signed by its state Director, Publicity, Chief Nathan Egba, said “we are shocked because we find it hard to understand how an elected governor of a state would make such a statement in a democratic setting, as we have in Nigeria, as there is nowhere in the Nigerian Constitution that gives any governor such powers.
“TAN in Bayelsa is however, aware of plots by some over-zealous government officials to portray groups such as TAN, Women for Change Initiative (WCI) and others in very bad light, in order to make it appear as if they are against the state government.”
Since then, especially after Jonathan lost that year’s Presidential Election to All Progressives Congress (APC), the relationship between the two leaders had remained a source of concern both to their close associates and to other stakeholders.
But both Jonathan and Dickson had managed the delicate situation with tact in order to give impression that all has been well in the political family.
By May this year however, the matter was brought back to public consciousness when Dickson, while speaking at a conference of Ijaw leaders and youths, who had gathered for the annual celebration of their hero, Major Adaka Boroh, at the Ijaw House, Yenegoa, said in clear terms that the six years that Jonathan spent as Nigeria’s president was “a wasted opportunity for the Ijaw people.”
He alleged that ministers and presidential aides from Ijaw, who worked with the ex-president for six years, failed to work with him in the interest of the Ijaw people but were after selfish interests.
This, according to him, made “the six years of former President Jonathan a wasted period for the Ijaw people who thought their son had gotten to the helm of political affairs of this nation to change their lots for the better.”
New pointers
As the political leaders in Bayelsa State PDP prepare for the forthcoming general election, there are new pointers that the battle would be between Dickson’s men and Jonathan’s supporters. Already, Dickson’s associates are telling whoever cares to listen that no other political group or party has what it takes to defeat Dickson’s “Restoration team.”
They boast that “Restoration Team is the only group with capacity and proper structure to win elections in the state.” “This emphasis, according to Engr. James Perekeme, is important because of the impression that the former president is still in charge in the state PDP. It is important to note that Dr. Jonathan is now a national leader. The leader here now in Bayelsa is Governor Dickson. He controls the political structure and no one should be deceived.”
But since the former president visited the state, while Dickson was on leave, and allegedly held secret meetings with his associates on the strategy for the next elections, The Nation learnt that his supporters have regrouped and are set for the next political battles. Whether Jonathan’s men is set to dethrone Dickson or are willing to work with him for the sake of PDP remains to be established.
But according to Perekeme, “we are all worried because of the unhealthy rivalry. We believe this is not good for the all of us and for the two leaders.”
When asked to comment on the degeneration of the relationship between the former president and the governor, their aides declined, saying other leaders have made public comments on the allegations.
Denials:
Like the two aides said, elder statesman, Edwin Clark, the National Leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), described recent media reports of a rift between former Jonathan and Dickson as ‘mischievous.’
He made the statement in Abuja. “In the past few days, the media have been inundated with stories about a so-called rift between a former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the Governor of Bayelsa.
“As a father to both of these important Nigerians, I categorically want to state that these reports are the handiwork of fifth columnists.
“It is the handiwork of persons who are deliberately out for mischief by creating disaffection between these two sons of mine.
“As we all know, Jonathan has continued to maintain a fair level of dignified silence as expected of a statesman and he is working assiduously towards ensuring peaceful development of this country.
“Lately, he became an acclaimed global citizen and international statesman with presence in almost all the continents.
“This is obviously a source of envy and discomfort to some who are now the purveyors of these stories of supposed rift,” he said.
He also said “Dickson on his part was working assiduously to see to the development of the state and had no time for such frivolities.
“As can be attested by Retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Prof. Wole Soyinka, acclaimed writer, and Prof. J. P. Clark, following our recent journey to Bayelsa, Dickson is doing a great job.
“He is investing heavily in the education sector. He had declared a State of Emergency in Education since 2012.
“So, the revolution taking place today with free education at both primary and secondary levels with free boarding and free uniforms are unprecedented.
“With such footprints and other developmental strides, these stories of rift are deliberately intended at distracting him.
“They are also meant to create tension in a state that is today adjudged as one of the most peaceful in the country.
“All through our stay of about one week, no incident of security threat or violence was recorded.
“Also during the period, PANDEF held its General Assembly, which was attended by over 150 delegates from across the Niger Delta Region.”
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed reports of a brewing political crisis in its Bayelsa State chapter. It also said there was no rift between Jonathan and Dickson.
The party’s National Caretaker Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said these while receiving the executive committee members of the Bayelsa State chapter of the party who paid a courtesy visit to the party’s national leadership in Abuja during the week.
He warned the leadership of the party in the state against yielding to what he described as the antics of mischief-makers to avoid generating problems in the party.
“Don’t allow yourself to be fragmented by rumours. Your executive has been ratified by the convention and that is final. There is no need to pander to rumours of an impending sack of the executive members. Immediately the rumours broke out, the former president called me to dismiss that rumours and he said there was no iota of truth in the said petition against the Bayelsa executives,” Makarfi said.
Also the Chairman, Bayelsa State chapter of the party, Mr. Moses Cleopas, had said: “The former president is a respected national leader and we have been holding him in high esteem in Bayelsa as our father. The governor is our leader in the state and the two of them have been relating well.
“There is no feud between Jonathan and Dickson. Some people are just envious of the peace in Bayelsa PDP.”
Given the obvious difference between the verbal assurances of peace, it remains to be seen how the unfolding scenario will impact on the fortunes of Bayelsa PDP in the coming elections.
