Seriake Dickson, incumbent governor and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Bayelsa governorship election just rounded off his campaign for the December 5 election. In this chat with newsmen, Dickson highlighted reasons why he is sure of victory. OSA OKHOMINA was there.How have you impacted Bayelsa’s development and politics in your tenure so far?
We have changed the face of politics in this state where we have emphasized the importance of the people as the centre of all development. Take the issue of accountability. For example every month we announce what comes in in terms of revenue and how much we spend. We are empowering our people mentally and democratically to take charge of their future. I believe that this will be a standard moving forward as far as governorship and other elections in this state are concerned. I heard that my good friend has intensified his campaign. That is how it should be, not
threatening our people with federal might, hoping that INEC will write results for him, that DSS are his errand boys and JTF will handcuff people for him. He is flying around with helicopters but I am going around as a simple governor on boats and trekking with the people because for me the people of this state must be liberated from these greedy persons that do not care about the development of the state. I am taking our case of peace, security and development to the communities and telling the people your future is in your hands not in any Abuja or Lagos governor. You will be the ones to decide. I am very happy about the warm reception and the endorsements I have received. I am just coming from Agudama Ekpetiema and the women came out to tie wrapper on me, the men give me presents. So many of these people (our opponents) are disconnected from their voters. I am busy with the persons who will vote and as we move towards the election, Bayelsans will know that this federal might and security they are using to intimidate people will not work. Look at the election in Kogi, it was free and fair, one man, one vote so Bayelsa should learn, there will be no federal might in Bayelsa. We are sensitizing the people that no one wearing uniform or any other color will intimidate them. They will vote with their PVCs and protect their votes. There is no magic that can be performed for APC to win.
In the course of your campaigns you have preached peace and security yet there was a clash between APC and PDP supporters in Ekeremor that led to the death of one Andrew John.
Let me use this opportunity to condemn any act of confrontation particularly violent confrontation especially when it leads to loss of lives or injuries irrespective of the party of the person affected. As the governor, it is my responsibility to protect everyone and their property. A situation where a minister goes to his community and openly threatens everybody that if they do not keep an eye on their child on election day the child will be killed, that is criminal. We should condemn those type of utterances. As for the incident at Ekeremor I have already issued a statement. Based on the preliminary report at my disposal, the gentleman who died was the one who attacked the PDP supporters who sought to erect a sign banner. From the report I have, he was rushed to the hospital for treatment and remained there for two days and then sought to leave the hospital against medical advice and went home believing he was well. Then he developed complications and died. The police are currently investigating so we await the full facts. In Gbarian Ekeptiama, PDP supporters were attacked and as we speak two are hospitalised. In other parts of the state such attacks are taking place but I condemn all of these. Let me use this opportunity to call on everyone particularly my supporters and party members, I do not want to hear any quarrel about posters and billboards and banners, because they do not win elections. I take the pains to go round to communities because I want to educate people not to tear down banners and billboards. Do not worry if these people come and provoke you, do not argue, the elections will come and go in the next few weeks and all those banners and billboards will become useless. Focus on winning the elections, galvanizing supporters and telling the people to reject the government of killing.
Bayelsans must not hobnob with these discredited people. This man could not do the intervention I did that enables him to drive to Nembe, he could not dualize the Azikoro road which I did. Under him for five years the road to Amassoma was impassable, he could not dream of electrifying communities and all he knew was promote insecurity and cultism. Unfortunately, because of greed, even people that were on exile during his government are supporting him. I can call names but I do not want to do so, they know themselves. Why did they not join APC from the beginning? I do not know how many of them will be in NDDC, I do not know how many directors and board members we will have as he has promised them. They do not mind handing over the future of their own children. I condemn violence and I want to call on my good friend Chief Timipre Slyva and his party to also condemn it. They should make the kind of statement I am making, and condemn violence of every sort.
How confident are you that you will win this election and have you done enough in your current term to deserve the mandate of the people?
I have performed better than my good friend if we have built the number of schools we have built within this period in spite of the short fall in allocation. If we have done the sort of things my Government has done within this period. If I do not feel confident that I have done enough then I do not know the governor that should run for a second term because frankly if a governor were to do the sort of things I have done he will win. That is my view. I have interacted with our people and communities and they all say I deserve more than a second term. And so I am very confident. Even a blind man will tell you that you cannot compare our performance and that the difference between me and Sylva is like between day and night. In what area can you compare? In term of acquiring liabilities and debts for our state? Or are you going to measure the performance by the number of killings in the state? In every area, talking about peace and security and development, we know that there is no comparison.
Talking about PDP losing traditional strongholds, there is nothing like that. The way the last general elections went, our party made mistakes in some areas, and in politics when you have been in power for this long you make mistakes; there are consequences attached. Bayelsa is different. We have a performing governor and given free and fair elections between myself and Timipre Sylva, forget the parties, there is no basis for comparison. That is why I am not surprised that communities are endorsing me. I have achieved what if a governor does in eight years, you will clap for him. Our people know it, people outside know it. And I am out to do more in the second term so I will get the second term by the grace of God.
In your last media chat you described yourself as the countryman governor and the APC candidate as a ‘guy man’. What ideological connotations do these terms have?
A guy man who has held political offices and was a governor for almost five years and does not have a house in the state capital to sleep in; not even a hut of his own, even in his own local government or community. Who is to develop your community for you? He is more travelled than I am, so he is right when he refers to me, as I hear, as a bush man. I say he is a guy man, he says I am a bush man but our people say I am a country man because a country man will use boat and canoe to see his country people which is the same transportation system they are used to. And I have slept in all local government areas including his own local government which he has not. I slept in southern Ijaw. He should sleep there and not hop in and out. Even as a governor he was hopping in and out of the country. That is a guy man but he is my good friend though we disagree fundamentally in terms of vision. You do not come to be a governor because of ego, because you want to blow siren or because you have friends in high places that can help you to get it. I was prepared for governorship. That is why when I came you can see how we have established a paradigm shift and if God helps and the people realise the need to protect their future, no guy man in Bayelsa can be governor again because this job is a serious job; one that requires a passion and commitment to do the people’s business, to lift them out of poverty and under development not harbouring resentment or bitterness as a governor.
source: Leadership newspaper
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