Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has reiterated his commitment to carrying stakeholders along in his administration. The governor spoke at a reception held by his supporters to mark his victory at the Supreme Court. Correspondent MIKE ODIEGWU reports.
Bayelsa state Governor Seriake Dickson is like the proverbial cat with nine lives. the Supreme Court has upheld his victory in last year’s election. Dickson weathered the storm and the obstacles thrown at him by the opposition. For the first time in the history of the state, the election was hotly contested. The governor was finally declared the winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after the supplementary election of January 9.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, rejected the outcome of the elections and commenced a protracted litigation. But, Dickson, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), triumphed. He won at the tribunal, the Court of Appeal and finally the apex court.
The stakes were high and if the governor had lost at any level, it would have spelted doom, not only for him, but also for the PDP.
Dickson, fondly called the Ofurumapepe (the great white shark), a sobriquet he adopted throughout the period of the elections and litigations, understood the dangers ahead. He threw everything into the contest. He was focused, dogged and restless, until the victory was stamped, sealed and delivered.
Dickson’s supporters organised a reception recently. He was celebrated as a hero by his admirers and party supporters.
Many Bayelsans trooped to the streets to welcome their governor. Women adorned in uniform wrappers and blouses; youths clad in praising-singing t-shirts and elders with their Ijaw attire lined up the roads singing and dancing for the victorious Dickson.
The crowd was mammoth; the Peace Park, venue of the celebration was filled to the brim. They shouted in joy, jumped in excitement, displaying various placards to congratulate their hero.
Dickson, who wore Ijaw attire with a feather festooned in his hat, marveled at the crowd that trooped out to welcome him. He dedicated his victory to God, saying that power comes from God.
The governor said: “If God did not allow it, who would have defeated all these people who are saying and doing all kinds of things? Have you forgotten how we got here. You know they mobilised all their forces everywhere.
“In your units you know the people you saw and the people you defeated. In this state, I can’t remember the number of rallies we addressed, the number of meetings we attended. We went round across the length and breadth of this state.
“They said they had the powers, more money and everything. There was nothing they didn’t boast of but Gd delivered them to us.
“Even, when they started magomago you people resisted them. Most of them even lost in their polling units. Women and young men in Bayelsa rose up and used their bare bodies to block Armoured Personnel Carriers APC)”.
He went down memory lane to narrate how he defeated the APC and Sylva at the poll. He said the opposition using its influence constituted a three-man panel for the tribunal and relocated the panel from Bayelsa to Abuja.
“What they forgot is that power doesn’t come from Abuja. Abuja cannot do anything or say anything, if this Baba up there has not approved it. After everything, their own three-man tribunal unanimously said all of you in this state gave your mandate freely to me, my running mate and our great party”, he said.
The governor said the APC leaders, instead of joining forces with him, having lost at the tribunal, took the matter to the Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court. According to him while the case was awaiting the adjudication of the apex court, the opposition was planning the number of people they would kill and chase away from their communities should they win the case.
He thanked the people of the state for their support and commended the judiciary for being truthful to its calling. Dickson warned against the intimidation of the judiciary, which it described as the foundation of democracy and nation’s stability.
The governor said: “I want to thank the judiciary for what they have displayed in this case that I know. They refused to be intimidated.
“They refused to be swayed. I want to call on all political leaders, whoever they are, to continue to support and encourage our judiciary and not to intimidate them because the judiciary remains the foundation of the nation stability.
“I agree that all may not be well, the few bad eggs here and there. But we should isolate them. While attending to that problem we should not at the same time destroy the institution called the judiciary.
“Because if we intimidate our judiciary to a level that judges would have to seek clearance before they make rulings, then we can say bye-bye not just to our democracy but also to national stability”.
Dickson dedicated his administration to what he referred to as the task of consolidating development and security. He promised to finish all projects he initiated and to engage the youths and women in meaningful activities.
Following his victory, he said the mandate of the Ijaw nation had been protected and could not be stolen adding that the Ijaw could not be put to shame.
“They did everything to put us to shame. After driving us from the centre, they were not satisfied. They did everything to take this place to humiliate us further. But we thank God that it had not happened. This Bayelsa State, the Jerusalem of Ijaw nation will never be conquered or intimidated”, he said.
The crowd roared. He said the APC leaders had hoped to get big appointments at the centre but had so far been disappointed.
He advised them to leave Abuja, return home and join hands with his administration to develop the state. He said some of them thought they would get free money and become billionaires overnight.
He said: “All the same, they are Bayelsans and I am the governor of all Bayelsans, both those who supported me and those who for one reason or the other did not. I want to reiterate my commitment to running an open-door policy and invite all of them to join us”.
He warned the youths not to allow them selves to be used for criminal activities against fellow citizens and the state.
“We know that the opposition will like to buy guns and give to people. We know that they like to do terrible things to create crisis in the communities. Please, desist from that.
“We don’t want crisis. All these threats of people blowing up facilities should stop. We want to protect the small revenue coming to this state to enable us serve you better”, he said.
Also speaking, Senator Barigha Amange, said with the electoral disputes over, peace and development would return to the state. He asked the APC and its leaders to join the PDP to develop the state saying that the state belonged to everybody.
Amange, who represents Bayelsa East in the Senate, said: “The money they wasted in litigation, they should have used it to support their supporters. But now that they have wasted the money, we can contribute money to assist them. They should come and join us to develop the state”, he said.
Chief Theophilus Okorotie from Bayelsa West said Dickson has provided leadership and made the Ijaw nation proud. He said the people would continue to support the governor. He said the distraction was over, adding that development would follow. He appealed to the opposition to join the administration of Dickson.
The Chief of Staff, Government House, Talford Ongolo, urged the people to cooperate with the “wonderful” governor. He said the stage could not ask for more from God adding that the people were blessed to have Dickson as their governor.
“Dickson has given us cause to rejoice. The way he is managing our resources, our future is in safe hands. Those who are in the opposition camp will be worried but they have no reason to be worried.
“Dickson believes that everybody must be carried along. He had put to practice the principles of integration and inclusiveness in governance. We call for peace. As party members, let us extend the Olive branch”, he said.
The Chairman, Southern Ijaw Local Government, Joshua Macaiver, described the governorship election as a battle between light and darkness. He said : “It was a battle between those that believe in the Ijaw nation and those that don’t believe in the development of Ijaw nation. When you face the two candidates, one will tell you, ‘kill whatever number you want to kill, let me be the governor’.
“But, Governor Dickson will always tell you, ‘I don’t want you to kill any Ijaw man for me to be the governor’. That is one thing I like about him. We are solidly behind the governor”.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Cleopas Moses, says power flows from God. He said the governor had always attributed his victories to God. He described Dickson as a special specie and congratulated him on his victory.
In fact, the outpouring of goodwill messages continued and most of the speakers including the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff, kept asking the opposition to sheath its sword and join to develop the state.
With the litigation over, people are looking forward to what the future holds for Bayelsa and the reactions of the APC and its leaders especially following the Olive branch extended to them by Dickson and other PDP leaders.
