Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, PDP group at war over party primaries voting pattern

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson and a pro-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) group under the guise of “The Integrity Group” yesterday traded words over the voting pattern of delegates for the September 3rd Governorship primaries of the party in the state.

While Dickson during the presentation of Party flags to candidates for the Local Government Council election in the state insisted that the Council Chairmen and the 105 Councillors, who are automatic delegates, should vote for Governorship aspirants under his Restoration camp of the Party, the Integrity Group, in a statement, signed and issued by its Coordinator, Hon. Tony Nathan Ile, Tuesday, faulted the position of Governor Seriake Dickson and called on the Chairmanship and Councillorship of the party to disregard the position of the Governor and vote for their conscience during primaries.

The group stated that contrary to the claim of Governor Dickson, no aspirant will remove the Chairmen and Councillors from office if he emerges as the candidate of the party and Governor in 2020.

According to the group, ‘ No PDP Governor will remove any elected Chairman or Councillors from office like Governor Seriake Dickson did to Local Government Councils chairmen three months after he assumed office as Governor.

The group further admonished Bayelsa indigenes to be focused on voting a candidate who is well prepared, has a development strategy and vision, and respected within and outside the state, who will attract investors into the state and empower the ordinary people of the State.

The group also alleged that the State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson is using his position and office to sow a seed of discord and division within the party with the deliberate maligning and stigmatisation of members of the party.

Earlier, the State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, had accused some party members of engaging in alleged anti-party activities and warned them to retrace their steps for the continued peace and stability of the state.

According to his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, the Governor said that the call has become imperative in view of the desperation and impunity with which such politicians are working against the interest of the party.

According to the Governor, such individuals worked for the opposition parties in the immediate past state and National Assembly elections.

Governor Dickson, therefore, advised the local council chairmanship and councillorship candidates not to be swayed by the antics of those politicians whom he described as tenants.

He reiterated that the council polls would take place this weekend and emphasized the need for the candidates to ensure victory for the PDP towards securing their tenure in office.

His words: “There are some people, who call themselves members of the PDP and are working against the party. Most of them fought against our candidates, by working for opposition parties and are not ashamed of themselves.

“They are not ashamed of the bad politics they are playing and the division they are promoting in this state. The politics of destroying their own party without conscience.

“Those were the people who were not happy that you, the eight of you are going to be Chairmen of local government areas. They are not happy and they insist that because they did not select the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen and all the councillors, this election should not hold.

“Let me sound a note of warning to you all, the genuine party members in this state, that the movements going on in this state, most of them are not calculated to your own interest. They just want to hijack party tickets and our state for themselves and their pockets and not for the interest of the people.

“The people that we have selected as our candidates (the eight chairmen and one hundred and five councilors) are all by the rules of our party, delegates in the forthcoming
governorship primaries and that is their fear.”

The governor urged all genuine members of the party to shun the activities of those who have betrayed the party by collaborating with the opposition in their bid to stop the conduct of the council polls in the state.