Bayelsa Guber Poll: Dickson Lists Conditions for Successor

Ahead of November 16 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa state, the state’s governor, Seriake Dickson has said that his successor must be bold and courageous due to the enormous responsibilities he will inherit. 

Dickson gave the conditions on Monday night during a live media chat in Yenogoa the state capital. A statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei quoted the governor to have made the comments on the show. 

He said; “The next governor of the Ijaw nation must be courageous; he must be ready to defend the Ijaw nation at all times. He must not be the errand boy of any ethnic group. I will be sad to see the governor of Bayelsa State playing such politics, without being able to take a decisive position on issues. Dickson, who said he had raised the standard of governance and expectations, promised to publish an audited account of his eight-year stewardship in line with his administration’s policy of accountability and transparency. “The shoes I am leaving behind are very big. Posterity will judge. Only very few people who come to talk to me have the interest of the state at heart.

“There is no free money to give anybody in Bayelsa. Do not kill for anybody as none has the power to make you a billionaire. Our people are oppressed. We have a lot of stories to tell Nigerians. When it comes to speak for the Ijaw nation, I have not been found wanting. I want that tradition to continue. I want my people to be safe. “More than any other time, Bayelsa State needs a governor with the requisite courage to lead the Ijaw people. What is at stake is your destiny and survival. Our people are Balkanized into small units in Ondo State to many other states. 

“In the Niger Delta, the Ijaw voice must be heard. I hope those buying the forms are aware of the enormity of the responsibilities of being the governor of the state.”