AsYenagoa stood still for the official declaration of Governor Seriake Dickson’s re-election bid, the immediate past President of the Country, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has called on other aspirants to shelve their ambitions and team up with the incumbent governor for the collective good of the state.This is to avoid the age long politics of pull him down syndrome in the state and the Ijaw nation.Leading other party faithful, including his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, the chairman of the PDP Governors’ forum, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, the governor of Rivers state, Chief Nyesom Wike,Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Alhaji Dokubo Asari and host of others, President Jonathan said, the incumbent deserves a second term based on his track record of performance.Giving reason for supporting the re-election bid of Governor Dickson, the ex-President attributed it to his developmental strides, adding, ‘some people are asking why I am supporting Dickson. The reason is not farfetched, having looked at all the parameters of development, I see that Dickson is trying and that is why I am giving him my support.
‘One major problem we have in our state and as Ijaw people is that we always run down ourselves. We use our own mouths to destroy ourselves by betraying our own people for outsiders to kill. And if we continue in this spirit, Bayelsa will not develop.
‘We should allow Dickson to do his eight years. We know there are good men and women and even youths in the PDP, just as we have them in other parties. But we know that Dickson is the best person who can competently lead us for another four years. Those of them aspiring to be governors should work with us.
‘When Dickson is through with his eight years, we will look for one of them and give him the opportunity to govern us. There is no need to engage in any do or die battle.
‘I know what they have done before but I don’t want to say it because I was here for eight years before I left for Abuja. We should think about our future, particularly the future of our children. Let us not be selfish.
‘I have listened to everybody who spoke. Let me thank our Ijaw brothers and sisters who came from far and wide; from Rivers, Ondo, Delta, Edo states and from the Diaspora who are here to support the calling for Seriake Dickson re-election bid. We thank all of you.
‘As leaders of the State and the leadership of our party that we are totally committed to delivering Dickson. And most of the speakers including Asari Dokubo said that the Dickson project is our common project.The election that is coming is beyond Dickson. The election is for us as a people to re-define and re-position ourselves in the Nigerian geo-politics. I believe supporting Dickson is the best thing now, as he will never betray our interest.
He will continue to work for our future and for the interest of our children and grand children.
In his speech, the State governor, Hon. Dickson urged the Federal government to provide an enabling environment for the forthcoming election to be credible and peaceful.
He assured the people of his commitment to consolidating his administration’s achievements in the areas of security, infrastructural development, education, and protecting the Ijaw national interest within the context of the Nigerian nation-state.
Said he, ‘we expect the Federal government and all its agencies to be alive to their responsibilities because the people at the other side are not like us. We win election in the PDP by talking to the people. we will go round this state.
‘Let me use opportunity to enjoin you all to set up Restoration groups in all your voting units and communities across the state but as we do this we expect the Federal government to also direct their agencies to be professional, so that our people will continue to enjoy the peace and stability that our PDP government has brought to them’
Describing Bayelsa as PDP state, the governor allayed the fear of the membership of the party over the threat posed by the opposition, adding, ‘even though they are claiming to have INEC, the police, we have you and above all God behind us. They will lose and we will win. We are firmly on the ground in this state, they are not our match.
‘Unknown to some of their leaders even in this state, the other side has become a parastatal of the PDP and after their primaries, we will appoint for them an interim management committee. We will wind them up properly on December 5, 2015 in this glorious and proud land of illustrious people, the Jerusalem of the Ijaw nation.
In their goodwill messages, the Chairman of the PDP governors’ forum and governor of Ondo state, Dr. olusegun Mimiko, the former governor of Bayelsa state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and Senator Aniete Okon, called on the people of the state to close ranks by mobilizing support for the re-election of Governor Dickson.
Dr. Mimiko described Governor Dickson as an accomplished giant of performance in all sectors of the state and assured him of the support of the forum.Earlier in his remarks, the Director General of the Restoration Campaign organization, Hon. Fred Agbedi expressed gratitude to Bayelsans for attending the event in their numbers and urged them to translate their show of support to reality in the forthcoming election.
Also, the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Friday Kombowei Benson, Senator Foster Ogola, Wing Commander Peter Biakpara retd and former Secretary of the Ijaw National Congress, (INC), Chief Francis Williams were among dignitaries who delivered goodwill messages at the event.
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