Bitter Governor Dickson Refuses To Congratulate Jonathan On 62nd Birthday

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Despite the the shower of encomiums from both the high, mighty and ordinary Nigerians on former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who is marked his 62nd birthday on Wednesday, Bayelsa State Governor Mr. Seriake Dickson has refused to congratulate his former boss on his special day. Apparently bitter and smarting from the defeat of his anointed successor, Douye Diri by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dickson has kept mum and stayed away from the former President who is currently hosting Bayelsa leaders, friends and other well-wishers in his house in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital.

So far encomiums have come from such prominent Nigerians as President Muhammadu Buhari, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar with all of them praising Jonathan as Africa’s icon and hero of democracy.

For many State governors including Governors of Delta and Bauchi their congratulatory messages came in the form of paid advertisements in today’s newspapers.

As at press time, Dickson had neither congratulated the former President nor even delegated any of his aides to pen a congratulatory message.

Since the defeat of Dickson’s candidate at the just concluded governorship election in the state, the governor has been complaining that the candidate of PDP didn’t receive the support of the President during the elections.

On Tuesday Dickson, claimed at a press conference that leaders of the APC are using the image of former President Goodluck Jonathan to give legitimacy to the alleged electoral fraud the party committed during the just-concluded governorship election in the state.

He said: “That’s why they had to be taking David Lyon to him (Jonathan). They had to be talking about him; they had to visit him and appear to be celebrating a victory never earned. “Like Pontius Pilate, they are preparing the window by which they will wash their hands strategically, and put it at his (Jonathan) doorstep; that he endorsed, sanctioned (and) legitimised it. That’s the game they are playing,” he added.

Dickson, who stated that he had “implicit confidence” in the judiciary to deliver justice on the pre-election related cases filed before it, called on the people to show restraint and not resort to violence.

Same day, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dismissed a report tha the party planned to suspend former president, Dr. Jonathan, over suspected anti-party activities in the last Saturday governorship election in Bayelsa State.

Rather, a member of its National Working Committee (NWC) blamed Governor Dickson for the defeat of the party in the election won by the APC candidate, Mr. David Lyon.

In an interview with ThisDay newspaper the party chieftain said: “It was Governor Seriake Dickson who defeated PDP and nobody else. You don’t play God. Since he became governor, he has done everything to belittle former President Goodluck Jonathan, the same person who did everything to make him a governor”.

‘’In the last general election, he did not even allow Jonathan to produce a member of the state House of Assembly representing his state constituency; the same thing with House of Representatives and the Senate. And on the basis of that silly action by the governor, the people revolted and voted APC.

‘’And when the governorship primary was also approaching, the leadership of the party, both at the state and national level, prevailed on Governor Dickson to allow the former president’s choice, Chief Timi Alaibe, who was also the choice of the leaders. He refused. And he did everything to skew the primary in his candidate’s favour.’’

He added that when Dickson was proving tough, former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was encouraged to intervene; but the governor was said to have told Obasanjo that the party could win the election with or without the support of Jonathan.

He added: ‘’A few weeks to the election, when it became very clear to him that Jonathan and his wife would not support the PDP’s candidate and considering the implications, Governor Dickson approached PDP governors to help beg Jonathan. They did; but then it was too late.

‘’Even though Jonathan did not openly campaign against our candidate, his body language sent a clear message to his huge followers in the state, who worked against our candidate. As a matter of fact, it was Governor Seriake Dickson who defeated our candidate and our party in the governorship election.”

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