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Dickson dumps Jonathan

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7 years ago

May 19, 2017

Olu Emmanuel

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Aligns with Ibori to rebuild power bloc in Niger Delta

By SUNDAY ODIBASHI

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State may have finally made up his mind to dump former President Goodluck Jonathan. National Daily is of the view that in doing this, Dickson who has been having political romance with the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, since his return from London, the United Kingdom, is likely to have concluded negotiation for alliance to rebuild the political power bloc in the Niger Delta. This political configuration was paradoxically the climax of Dickson’s outburst against former President Jonathan at the 2017 Celebration of Major Adaka Boroh, in Yenogoa last Tuesday.

National Daily inquiry unveiled that Governor Dickson has been managing his relationship with the former President with caution; waiting for a good opportunity to establish the independence of his political authority in Bayelsa State from where he intends to re-launch himself to the mainstream body politic after the expiration of his second tenure.

Dickson has maintained crystal cordial relations with Ibori since the former governor came back to Nigeria after years of being in gaol in the UK.

National Daily’s search found that preparatory to the return of the former Delta State Governor to Nigeria, there were with the Bayesla Governor. Findings showed that this culminated into the submission of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation Committee Report to Senator Ali Modu Sherriff, PDP National Chairman, by Dickson, Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee. Sources revealed that Dickson ought to have submitted the Reconciliation Committee report to Ahmed Makarfi, Chairman of PDP National Caretaker Committee, but on the intervention and tacit agreement with Ibori, submitted the report to Sherriff under the guise that Sherriff is the authentic PDP chairman as declared by the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt.

Dickson’s role was also a factor why former President Jonathan was frustrated in his reconciliatory efforts when he convened a meeting between Makarfi and Sherriff and their loyalists in Abuja.

Apparently, Ibori has seemingly provided safety net for Dickson to dump Jonathan, enthrone his political austerity in Bayelsa and subsequently launch himself into the Niger Delta power bloc negotiating South-South interests in the mainstream body politic.

The assembling of Ijaw leaders and youths at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, for the annual celebration of Major Adaka Boroh, who died fighting for the independence of Ijaw nation, last

Tuesday, provided the springboard for the Bayelsa Governor to launch an open salvo of former President Jonathan, covertly, drawing a battle line or tentatively defining a fresh atmosphere of freedom and self-discovery.

Governor Dickson had decried that the six years Dr. Goodluck Jonathan spent as Nigeria’s

president was a wasted opportunity for the Ijaws. He lamented that the six years of Jonathan administration brought no development to Ijaw land; adding that those who served in the Presidency for six years failed to work with him in the quest to bring development to Bayelsa State because “they suffered from the Bayelsa-Ijaw disease of pulling-him-down syndrome.

Though, the Movement for the Sustainability of Ijaw People (MSIP), chided Dickson for kneeing hard on former President Jonathan describing the Bayelsa governor as a stone-hearted traitor who is scheming to take the place of the former president as the foremost Ijaw leader.

Tonbra Ebitimi, National Leader of the Movement for the Sustainability of Ijaw People, in a statement described Dickson as an overtly too ambitious “lesser star” who disparages the former president, while pretending to love him. “We believe that only a stone-hearted traitor would move against a man who regularly comes to his rescue in times of danger,” the group declared.

The group further compared Dickson to Brutus, a villain who dealt Caesar the heaviest blow from his

Ebitimi, had stated: “Initially, we did not believe that such toxic arrow could be shot from the bow of a political godson in the direction of his highly revered mentor and fellow kinsman.

But having waited for about two days for Dickson’s clarification or rebuttal to no avail, we have no choice but conclude that the attack was a carefully orchestrated denunciation trained to achieve a desired end.

“We suspect that the aim was to rubbish the achievements of the Jonathan administration, pull down its vestiges, and damage the former president’s persona as a prominent Ijaw leader, in order to pave the way for the ascendancy of a lesser star, who is evidently too ambitious to take his place. Well, it is obvious that this experiment has failed woefully.

“All that Dickson needs to do to see that he has shot himself on the leg is to go online and read the acerbic comments from angry Nigerians against him and his sanctimonious diatribe.

“We will not say much here because that would amount to publicly disparaging one of our sons in defence of another.

“But Dickson should realize that this was one statement he shouldn’t have made, no matter the weight of the disdain and grudge he nurses against the former president and his immediate family.

“It is instructive that Dickson is not only Jonathan’s godson but the governor of his state! Ordinarily, he should be the one to rise to Jonathan’s defence in all circumstances…”

National Daily inquiry further unveiled that Dickson may be having rem nascence of certain political relics from the camp of the former president which would have denied him a second term. Sources revealed that the former president engaged in a subtle political warfare with some leaders from the Niger Delta which Ibori, former Governor Timipre Silva of Bayelsa State were a victims.

There was the innuendo that Dickson narrowly escaped the presidential hammer because of the defeat of the PDP in the 2015 General elections by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

That defeat was insinuated to have forestall an alleged plot to deny Dickson PDP ticket for re-election.

ALSO SEE: President Goodluck Jonathan, I beg to disagree!

Invariably, beyond the accusation of the Movement for the Sustainability of Ijaw People that Dickson is plotting to upstage Jonathan and assume the leadership of Ijaw nation, National Daily gathered that Dickson and others may be on pay-back mission against the former president.

It was observed that Ibori, on return from the UK. Paid a tribute visit to the family of late Governor DSP Alaieyeseigha, thereafter, he extended his visit to governor Dickson. Dickson after a closed door meeting with Ibori at the government House, Yenogoa, had declared that the former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, and late Governor D.S.P Alamieyeseigha were victims of the struggle in the Niger Delta.

He maintained that the two former Governors mobilized the Niger Delta people in the struggle for resource control.

Dickson subsequently paid a visit to Ibori at Oghara,Delta State, the hometown of the former Governor of Delta State.

National Daily findings revealed that Ibori has, ironically, maintained a strong hold in the PDP even while in gaol in the UK; successfully having his ‘unalloyed’ loyalist, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, in Modu Sherriff’s camp asDeputy National Chairman.

Ojougboh is widely observed to have played significant roles in fortifying Sherriff’s camp in the PDP leadership crisis. Invariably, it is not surprising that Governor Dickson swiftly shifted support to the Sherriff camp at the time that Ibori came back home.

However, at the Adaka Boroh celebration, Dickson also challenged the Ijaw people on patriotic zeal. “It is true that we are celebrating Boroh, but ask yourself whether you are doing your bit. Boroh came, saw and did his bit and has gone. I and my team have come and we have taken up the battle from where Boroh stopped and we are doing our duties.

“Each of us must examine ourselves and to be frank we have not done very serious examination in this state and in the Ijaw nation. We cannot blame God. God has been very merciful and kind to us particularly of late,” the governor had declared.