Adedayo Akinwale ín Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the outgoing Governor of Bayesla State, Seriake Dickson, ran a directionless government for eight years and squandered the state resources.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in a statement yesterday, said that following the resounding victory of the APC governorship candidate, David Lyon, in the November 16 governorship election, Dickson has blamed everyone, including public institutions, but himself for the loss of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his governorship candidate who he tried to foist on the state.
He said that APC did not need to intimidate the voters or arm-twist the agencies involved in the electoral process in the state, saying the party had an easy victory in Bayelsa, courtesy of Dickson.
The party spokesman said Dickson failed woefully on all fronts, stressing that he failed the people of Bayelsa who are daily faced with the reality of underdevelopment- there are no roads, no schools, no hospitals, and no visible improvement on their social life.
Issa-Onilu stated: “If Governor Dickson should stand before the mirror, he would see a clown, a prodigal son, and a failure, all rolled into one. We know he cannot do that. Shame would not allow him to carry out self-evaluation.
“He should sit down to ask himself critical questions: How did he waste the opportunity he had to become a hero in a state that badly needs one? A state with the fourth highest federal allocation among 36 states; benefitting from huge oil derivation funds; ranked 27th among 36 states in terms of landmass; least populated of the 36 states, yet has nothing to show for it.
“Governor Dickson should be accounting for his stewardship. He should account for how his oversized ego cost him and PDP the governorship election in Bayelsa State. Governor Dickson, for eight years, did what a typical PDP governor would do: He ran a directionless government, he squandered the state resources, and had no traceable positive impact on Bayelsa State.”
The ruling party noted that rather than Dickson sounding ridiculous in an attempt to look for a scapegoat by blaming everyone else besides himself, he should explain how he singlehandedly chased away other PDP leaders.
Issa-Onilu said it was disclosed on Monday by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that the inoperative and non functional N60 billion Bayelsa International Airport which Dickson “launched” in February was constructed without perimeter fencing, the number one safety requirement for any airport.
He added that surprisingly, Dickson still wonders why the PDP lost the Bayelsa Governorship election.
