Former Bayelsa State governor and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, has accused some governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and other leaders who are defecting from the party of running away from the mess they created.
Senator Dickson, while reacting to the defection of the incumbent governor of his state, Duoye Diri after Senate plenary on Wednesday in Abuja, however threw his weight behind the nomination of Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Although he admitted that Governor Dir consulted him several times on his plan to dump the PDP, Dickson said he was never convinced as there was no compelling need for the defection, particularly for a second term governor.
Nigeria, according to him, being a plural society, deserves functional and vibrant multiparty democracy and not one party one which breeds dictatorship and authoritarianism.
He said: “I am where I have been. I am where I am. I don’t believe that Nigeria should be a one-party state. And as a soldier of democracy, I’m used to the ups and downs of democratic practices and democratic life, and political life especially. And I’m still as constant. As a northern star.
“Steadfast in the Peoples Democratic Party. and working with my colleagues and friends to ensure that problems in the party are solved.
“I hope that the governors and the leadership working committee who created this mess in our party, all of them, and who instead of showing leadership, have created this mess and ensured that it has persisted for this long.
“And they are the ones now bailing out after creating the problem that they could not solve or refuse to solve. It’s very sad. Very, very sad. It’s making Nigeria look small and making our country’s democracy look ridiculous.
“We don’t really know what they are pursuing or what is pursuing them. But whatever it is, it belittles our democracy and endangers our multi-party democracy.
“I believe in a multi-party Nigeria. A plural Nigeria can only thrive on a plural democratic environment. That’s what has happened. But on the specifics of Bayelsa, you know, since I left and handed over to all the members who used to be part of my team, and I left, unlike others who are godfathers, I’ve not been a godfather. Left everything. No requests, no demands, no pressure. Only being available for consultation and advice.
“As in this case, the governor consulted me several times to his credit. And I was not convinced because I didn’t see any compelling reason for a second-term governor to defect.
“I’m just using this to say that I am still standing. in the PDP that gave my people (the Ijaw Nation) and the Niger Delta people an opportunity to run election, to emerge as vice president of this country, acting president of Nigeria, and president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
“This other party cannot do that. And I’m standing there with the PDP. If and when, if we don’t succeed in retrieving the PDP, in saving the PDP, then we’ll be part of a collective decision, which again, should not be the ruling party.
“Because I believe there must be opposition. A democracy without opposition ceases to be democracy.”
On Amupitan, he said President Tinubu has made a very good choice and he will fully support confirmation of his appointment anytime the Senate screens him.
“I will be casting my vote, I will be supporting the nomination. And as a member of the Electoral Committee, and also a member of the Senate, I will work with colleagues to ensure that the electoral reforms we are championing see the light of day, and that Professor Amupitan is confirmed as Chairman of INEC.
“We expect him, as a professor of law and a senior advocate of Nigeria, the first senior advocate to be so nominated, to understand his place in history.”