APC tasks Dickson on stewardship in Bayelsa

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday asked the outgoing Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State to “render account of monies spent during his two terms in office.”

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu in Abuja, the party 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.”

APC further claimed: “Governor Dickson should be accounting for his stewardship. He should account for how his oversized ego cost him and the Peoples Democratic Party (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 and had no traceable positive impact on Bayelsa State.

“On Monday, it was disclosed by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that the inoperative and non-functional N60 billion Bayelsa International Airport which Governor Dickson launched in February was constructed without perimeter fencing, the number one safety requirement for any airport.

“Surprisingly, Governor Dickson still wonders why the PDP lost the Bayelsa governorship election. “

The ruling party maintained that “rather than sounding ridiculous in an attempt to look for a scapegoat by blaming everyone else besides himself for the defeat of the PDP in the recently held governorship poll, Governor Dickson should explain how he singlehandedly chased away other PDP leaders in the state.”

The APC insisted that contrary to notions in certain quarters, it did not need to intimidate voters or arm-twist the election managers to “sweep the poll.”

The spokesman equally alleged: “Besides the fact that it is not our way, we actually had an easy victory in Bayelsa. Thanks to Governor Dickson himself for making victory easy for us. Dickson failed woefully on all fronts. 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.”