Ibori Visits Alamieyeseigha’s Graveside

• Dickson: Late ex-governor, Ibori victims of N’Delta struggle

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

Former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, wednesday visited the graveside of his late political ally and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, in Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, describing him as a martyr of the Niger Delta struggle.

 Accompanied by a retinue of his political ‘sons’, including the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Monday Igbuya, Senator Ighoyota Amori, former commissioners, Solomon Funkekeme and Frank Omare, as well as several other lawmakers and politicians, Ibori said the late governor died for what he stood for.

 Ibori, who declined to make any comments on his political future and that of the Niger Delta, explained that he had taken time off politics, stressing that he would speak at the right time.

 He said he was shocked when the news of Alamieyeseigha’s death got to him in the United Kingdom, noting that his relationship with the late Bayelsa State governor went beyond politics and promised to stand with the family of his late ally.

“Today is a solemn day. I have come to say to you and the Government of Bayelsa State, the people of the state  that indeed when I heard that my dear friend, brother, comrade and soulmate passed, I was devastated.

“Most would see us as brothers, but the bond I shared with our fallen hero was beyond brotherhood. It was spiritual, it was deep because we shared the same passion. Unfortunately, I was away when he passed.

“For us Christians, we believe in the supremacy of God. He left bold footprints on the sands of time. As two governors of two states, we worked together and faced the same challenges.

“We took over when my state, especially, was in turmoil. If not for my dear brother and friend, the crisis I had in Delta State would have engulfed the entire Niger Delta region.

“He stood by me, worked with me day and night. Spoke to people. Held several meetings with me even in Bayelsa government house on how to find solutions to what I was facing at the time. So you will understand when I say the bond was deep,” he said.

 The former Delta State  governor insisted that late Alamieyeseigha’s resolve to stand against the “forces of oppression,” was what got him in trouble with the authorities.

“It doesn’t need mentioning. We all, including the governor know the role he played because of what he believed in. He fought the forces of oppression and evil which ultimately led to his death.

“For me, DSP is a hero, a martyr and he died for what he believed in. I take solace in the fact that though he’s gone, in terms of ideas and courage and boldness, he has left you (Governor Seriake Dickson) behind.

 “I will take solace that even though he’s no more, what he believed in will not die. Having met you, I am encouraged that indeed, the flag only flew half mast for a while.

“There’s nowhere in the world where people like him don’t suffer for their people. History is replete with such people. I tried looking out the window when I was driving down, and I saw the foundation he laid in Bayelsa State,” Ibori said.

He added: “It has taken this long for me, because it is difficult for me to face the life, the struggle without the input from my dear brother. It’s an emotional issue for me. We will remember him for the good he did.

“The way I heard him present our case in council, public and private, he never let us down. We will not let his soul down. He spoke against oppression in any part of the country.”

While sympathising with the family of the departed ‘Governor-General’ of the Ijaw nation, Ibori urged them to take solace in the fact that he was a good man who will forever be remembered by his legacies.

The Bayelsa State Governor, Saraki  Dickson, in his remarks,  insisted that Alamieyeseigha was hounded to his early death because he stood against oppression.

“Both of you are victims of the Niger Delta struggle; pure and simple. You rallied our people together on fiscal federalism, resource control, and all those issues, you did very well. You have kept faith .You personally wrote a tribute to him.”

He flayed the people of the region for always having the tendency to sell out their leaders, maintaining that leaders in other parts of Nigeria were not better than those in the Niger Delta.

“I call on our people that we have done enough when it comes to pulling down and sabotaging our leaders. Nobody in this nation will build and sustain leaders for us. Let’s learn from others. Can we say their leaders are better than ours?

“You (Ibori) and your late brother were victims in the struggle. He was harassed and hounded to his untimely death. Because some people felt that given Alamieyeseigha support for myself and the deputy, as we were campaigning that their chances of winning, which was not even there, will reduce.

“They brought out an orchestrated campaign of intimidation and propaganda and hurried him to his untimely grave. But the ijaw nation cannot be intimidated. We will work with allies and friends to stand up for the right causes,” Dickson said.