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Governor Seriake Dickson Lacks Ability To Lead Bayelsa—Former Aide

December 14, 2014

Lucky Youbogha, a former special adviser to the Bayelsa State Government, has accused Governor Seriake Dickson of lacking the ability to govern the state, adding that this factor was driving growing opposition to the governor’s style of administration as well as policies.

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Mr. Youbogha, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa said many party members were angry over Mr. Dickson’s alleged acts of deceit, wrong policies, and imposition of candidates on the party. He also accused the governor of failing to fulfill promises he made to party members in the state.

Mr. Youbogha, who belongs to the Bayelsa West Senatorial district, said many PDP members refused to support Governor Dickson’s efforts to zone certain positions and impose candidates during the recent state and National Assembly primaries. He said the governor was incapable of leading the PDP in the state.

According to him, many aggrieved PDP members were determined to remain in the party in order to push the goal of re-electing President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015. Even so, he stated that the treatment meted out to members of the party during the recent party primaries was provocative and uncalled for.

“We met with the PDP and assured them of our support. But we met with Dickson and he gave us many assurances. We have since discovered that Governor Dickson is not a man we can work with. He does not consult and does not keep promises. He has not fulfilled any promises made to the people, including the severance payment to former political office holders in the state,” said Mr. Youbogha.

He added that party members had decided to support Senator Heineken Lokpobiri instead of Governor Dickson’s candidate for the Bayelsa West Senate seat, explaining that the decision was based on the need for pragmatic leadership at the Senate and a reaction to the governor’s act of betrayal. “Senator Lokpobiri was the choice of the people. Aside from the fact that Lokpobiri played a vital role in securing support for Dickson by convincing aggrieved party men to support the governor, the choice of the people should be upheld. We need people like Lokpobiri to provide the needed senatorial support to the president at the national level,” said Mr. Youbogha.

He urged the leadership of the PDP to uphold the results of the party primaries that elected Mr. Heineken.