By Rowland Udoh
The murky water of Nigerian politics has been stirred again in Bayelsa State. Betrayals, intrigues of politics and the politics of intrigues have shown tendencies of many a political elite. The real manifestation of the Darwinian theory of survival of the fittest or George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Man, truly is a poor student of history.
It is common knowledge in the political circle in Nigeria that at your best in a second term, an incumbent Governor can at best by himself deliver only one Senatorial district. Many who tried winner takes all, ended up being disgraced; worse if they are out of line with ruling machinery in Abuja. From the 1999-2007 set of Governors, only the then Zamfara Governor, Alhaji Ahmad Sani; then Lagos Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; then Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu and then Kebbi Governor, Adamu Aliero easily achieved their hearts’ desires. Bauchi’s Adamu Muazu, Sokoto’s Attahiru Bafarawa, Benue’s George Akume, Imo’s Achike Udenwa, Nassarawa’s Abdullahi Adamu got their fingers burnt.
Not too long ago, Ayo Fayose who had helped Dr. Kayode Fayemi to become Governor of Ekiti State ran for the seat of Governor in 2014 and defeated Dr. Fayemi thereby commencing a second term having previously served as Governor from 2003 to 2006. He built a strong coalition to defeat an incumbent but in the process of time felt too powerful to listen to his strong supporters in the choice of his successor. He decided to go solo, nominating his deputy, a previously unknown political quantity to be his successor.
There was no small uproar amongst the political class and in a situation of weak leadership in the party headquarters in Abuja he had his way. The end result was the poor showing of the PDP in the Ekiti Governorship election of 2018. If he had learned from the mistake of his associate Senator Iyiola Omisore of Osun State who ran for governorship in 2014 while being the Godfather of the Ministerial nominee from Osun state the outcome could have been different.
Enter the 2019 Bayelsa Governorship election. Governor Seriake Dickson had been insulated from the truth he ought to know or had told himself. He forgot the circumstances that made the then President Goodluck Jonathan insist on sending him to govern Bayelsa. They trampled upon Timipre Sylva and he got the PDP ticket way back in 2011. Seriake Dickson, a former Nigeria Police junior rank personnel had left the police force to go for University education graduating with a degree in Law. He started his politics in the defunct Alliance for Democracy, largely influenced by his maternal roots in Ijebu land of Ogun State. He later abandoned that ship as its fortunes dimmed after the 2003 general elections and moved into the PDP.
His fortunes blossomed and he was elected into the Federal House of Representatives. He was there at the crisis time of the “Doctrine of Necessity” which made the then VP Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to become acting President. His role in galvanising support for Johnathan was rewarded after the 2011 general election. He was selected, supported and sponsored by Jonathan to defeat Timipre Sylva. In the twilight of his reign, he had lost direction and his sense of judgment is influenced by the ego of Chairman PDP Governors Forum. He became larger than life and did not recall that a tree doesn’t make a forest. He became seriously alienated from the very people who could have drawn his attention to the drift of many a party supporter/ loyalist to the camp of his opposition.
Dickson and Jonathan had settled for Timi Alaibe as a consensus candidate, but Dickson disrespected the agreement he reached with GEJ and the Bayelsa elders.
He forgot that Jonathan brought him from obscurity to House of Representatives and to becoming a Governor. During Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, primary, Dickson was alleged to have bribed Uche Secondus, PDP national chairman to impose his cousin Douye Diri at the party.
In addition, he was used to disparaging Bayelsa East- Jonathan’s people (Ogbia, Nembe, and Brass) as non-core Ijaw and traitors. This was the reason APC won GEJ’s Senatorial district during the 2019 governorship polls.
As such, Bayelsa people particularly Bayelsa East (Jonathan’s people) daubed non-core Ijaws hate Dickson. Core Ijaws, according to Dickson, are the Sagbama/Ekeremor/Southern Ijaws of Bayelsa and the Bomadi/Burutu/Patani of Delta whom he plotted should govern Izon state.
All GEJ’s allies and boys moved to APC and supported David Lyon, the godson of Patience. Jonathan did not campaign for the APC candidate like his wife and mother out of self-respect but his kinsmen ensured Dickson was taught a lesson without saying a word.
In 2012, GEJ used Dickson to remove Sylva. In 2019, GEJ and PEJ worked with Sylva to remove Dickson.
He was determined to produce the Governorship Candidate. He coveted to go to National Assembly but felt more honour to take a shot at the Senate seat. So, he invited the Senator from his district to run as deputy governor or running mate to his favored governor candidate, thinking if they had won he would enjoy the opportunity of being a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The castle he built in the imagination of his mind has come crashing like a pack of cards, as they say.
The God who scattered the Tower of Babel has visited Seriake Dickson’s Bayelsa. Beware! the Chinese say, You don’t bother what a man does if you can control his mind.
