Jonathan, Dickson in soured relationship

• Governor under pressure over salaries of LG workers

By MIKE TAYESE, Yenogoa

IT is becoming glaring that since Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State won the election for his second term in office, the relationship between him and former President Goodluck Jonathan has been falling apart gradually.

Investigation revealed that Ogbia stakeholders had insisted that former President Jonathan should not support the second term bid of Governor Dickson but the former President refused and even sponsored part of his campaign and election costs in the state.

Since the conclusion of the election and the swearing-in of Dickson, the relationship of the two political leaders in the state has gone bad. Dickson clearly accused Ogbia people that they did not support neither did they vote for his re-election for a second term in office, hence, they should not expect anything from his Government.

The bubble burst recently when Governor Dickson berated former President Jonathan and Ogbia leaders, telling them that have failed woefully.

Dickson in a media chat in the state on the issue of non-payment of salaries of local government workers said the Ogbia leaders have failed woefully, perceiving that he was the target of the salary problem.

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There are allegations across the state that the local government allocations was part of what governor Dickson used in sponsoring his election and the bribery of Independent National Electoral Commission Officials and settling of the electorates.

During a protest in Yenagoa by the Local government workers of nonpayment of salaries, a statement was credited to the former Yenagoa Local Government Chairman, Hon. Shubi Walson, that there is no way he could pay their salaries because the governor has collected the money and the little one given to him cannot be used only for payment of salaries.

The eight local government areas in Bayelsa State and the 32 Rural Development Authorities (RDA) created by late Governor DSP Alamieyesigha and former President Jonathan, when he was governor of the state, have been suffering from non-payment of salaries in the past one year; while Ogbia Local Government is owing 14 months, without the governor having remorse for the people.

Governor Dickson is widely conceived to be covering up the fact that he cannot open up to the people that he used the local government allocation for his re-election, rather vented his anger on the leadership of Ogbia Kingdom since he believes that they were not in support of his second term in office.