Dickson, PDP blackmailing Bayelsa traditional rulers, says APC

By Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Tuesday accused the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of blackmailing traditional rulers ahead of the November 16 governorship poll.

APC said the governor and his party were desperately ambushing palaces of kings and traditional stools and coming out with reports that such revered institutions adopted their candidate for the forthcoming election.

The Chairman of APC Contact, Reconciliation and Integration Committee, Chief Dikivie Ikiogha, in a statement in Yenagoa said the people of the state were taken aback when Dickson in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Fidelis Soriwei, claimed that the PDP candidate was endorsed by the Epie-Atissa monarch, King Malla Sasime and his Council of Chiefs.

Ikiogha, who is also a member of the Epie and Atissa councils of Chiefs and member of Epie-Atissa Joint Council of Chiefs, said it amounted to desecration of traditional values for the governor to twist a normal traditional protocol in a courtesy visit to score cheap political points.

He said Dickson and the PDP suddenly realized their failures in the state and the imminent harsh judgement reserved for them at the poll and resorted to outright lies and propaganda.

Ikiogha said with the high level of disconnect between the people and Dickson’s government, no traditional institution apart from the council of Chiefs in Toru-Orua, Dickson’s community in Sagbama, would identify with the PDP’s candidate, Senator Douye Diri.

He said following the reports of the adoption, he contacted his King, who denied endorsing Diri saying he only performed his traditional duties of giving his blessings to any visiting party candidate.

Ikiogha said the council of Chiefs were angry at the report of purported endorsement and appealed to members of the public to disregard it.

He further pointed out that even if the the council would go to the extreme of endorsing any candidate, the Epie-Atissa, would adopt the candidate of the APC, Chief David Lyon because he is a son of the king and a loved resident of the area.

He said: “I am a member of the Epie Council of Chiefs and a member of Epie-Atissa Joint Council of Chiefs. I am a political leader in Epie-Atissa and being a member of the council of chief, I was supposed to be there when the governor visited the council of Chiefs. But I was unavoidably absent.

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“Nevertheless, it has never been in history that a courtesy call by a governor to a council of chiefs would amount to adoption. So, the Epie-Atissa never adopted the PDP candidate at all. When I got the information, I called the king because I know that this one would never happen.

“I know that the APC candidate, David Lyon is a son to King Sasime. I wanted to know from the king and he said there was nothing like that. I asked the secretary of the council and he said there was nothing like that. They only received the governor and his team as the tradition demands.

“Anybody contesting election in the state visits the palace to introduce themselves and tell them they are contesting election and the usual traditional matter is to bless the person. That was what was done.

“But I have noticed that any traditional council Dickson visits, they come out with the short that the people have adopted their candidate. Dickson has not done well to attract adoption from any group of people”.