Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State on Tuesday, December 24, 2019, accused Bayelsa State governor Seriake Dickson of betraying their party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He demanded that he should exit the party or be shown the way out.
The statement is a continuation of brickbats the governors have been throwing at each other over ownership of the Soku oil wells and other issues.
The Federal High Court returned the oil fields to Rivers, but Dickson insisted that Bayelsa’s historical ownership of the wells remained valid.
According to Wike, there is no basis for the PDP to intervene since the Federal High Court had determined the matter.
Simeon Nwakaudu, his special assistant quoted him as saying in a statement: “I don’t know why they are interceding. They have no power to resolve the issue of oil wells.
“Secondly, the matter has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
“Anybody who is not satisfied should go on appeal. Are they interceding on behalf of someone who betrayed the party?
“They know that Governor Dickson betrayed and sold out the party. They know what happened in Rivers State during the 2019 election, that Dickson worked with my opponent.
“Throughout that period, the National Chairman himself knew that people were calling from all over the country to know the situation. Dickson never called one day.
“This was because of his alignment with the opposition. I can show proof that Dickson had already made up his mind to go over to the APC (All Progressives Congress).
“I am not going to sit down with anybody to discuss anything as it relates to Governor Dickson. I have no business with Governor Dickson.”
Wike said the right thing for Dickson to do was to resign from the PDP.
“In fact, Governor Dickson ought to have resigned from the party by now, so that the leaders of PDP in Bayelsa would rebuild the party.
“The national leadership of the party should know that the only option left for PDP to be strong in Bayelsa is for Dickson to leave the party,” he said.
Wike said PDP’s intervention was no longer useful.
He said: “Where was the party when Dickson sold out? Why couldn’t they come out to speak out? Governor Dickson, you have killed our party in that state.
“What is anyone wading in for (intervening)? I am not going to be a party to that and nobody will stop me.
“Nobody fights Rivers State and gets any benefits. I have said it severally. I am not here because of my interest. I am here because of the interest of Rivers State.
“The party would have waded in when they saw fraud. That Dickson was killing the party in Bayelsa State. He has achieved his aim by making sure nobody comes after him as he leaves office in February 2020.
“Do you know the effect of APC winning Bayelsa State? And they are talking of wading in (intervening.”
But, a group, the Bayelsa Youth Vanguard, BYV, dismissed Wike’s claim that Dickson traded off the last Bayelsa governorship election.
In a statement by its secretary, ThankGod Erekefe, the group said Wike’s outburst was mere “hallucinations” aimed to discredit Dickson.
It said Wike’s comments should be disregarded.
The group said it was inconceivable that Dickson would join the APC in such a crucial election.
It added that the governor would have been exposed by the opposition party then, and would have used it as a major political weapon against him.
BYV said: “Our attention has been drawn to the various comments credited to Nyesom Wike wherein he unjustly derided Governor Dickson over the recent governorship election and in particular the accusations of trading off the election to curry favour of protecting him after leaving office.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. Governor Dickson had all along acted well his path in office and would not be afraid to render a full account of his dedicated stewardship before and after leaving office.
“Dickson remains a staunch member of the PDP and his various strong positions on the roles of federal institutions leading to the manipulations of the said election are our cogent convictions on his integrity as a leader of substance. He is surely a politician of conviction.
“So, it’s trite even as we observe that Governor Wike is noted for such reckless, alarming and frivolous diatribes and misrepresentations. It’s in his political DNA, which speaks to his pedestrian inclinations on issues.
“Unlike Wike and his cohorts who played such ignoble role of hobnobbing with APC and its leadership to fight a proxy war in Bayelsa during the election, history will vindicate Dickson for his leadership and commitment to the basic interest of the Ijaw nation where Bayelsa State is at the heart of such consciousness and ably entrenched by Governor Dickson on the PDP platform throughout his tenure as governor.
“On the issue of performance, we make bold to say that Governor Dickson has etched his name in gold for his unmatched achievements in infrastructural development, especially on roads and bridges across the three senatorial districts, public institutions and legacy projects as well as the revolution in education.
“Wike should compare records of academic performances in WAEC and NECO between Rivers and Bayelsa states in recent times and correlate it with his ill-informed assertions on what really constitutes development in any modern society.”
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