***Urges Supporters Not to Attack Him
Senator Henry Seriake Dickson has accused Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri of surrendering the state’s political structure to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after years of benefiting from his support.
Dickson, national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), spoke during his homecoming visit to Bayelsa with the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi. He said he had kept quiet about their disagreement to protect peace and avoid tension, but that the time had come to state his position ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said he backed Diri’s emergence as governor after weighing the interests of the Ijaw nation and fairness among Bayelsa’s communities. Diri, he added, had held several positions under his leadership and was expected to protect the political structure that brought him to power. Dickson said he was disappointed by the governor’s decision to align with the APC. He also accused the state government of using dismissals, intimidation, blackmail and victimisation against people linked to his camp.
Even so, he urged supporters not to attack or abuse the governor. “Children may deny their father, but fathers do not deny children,” he said, describing Diri as his brother and political associate.
Dickson then introduced Obi to Bayelsans and asked them to vote for him and all NDC candidates, expressing confidence in the party’s chances across the state. Turning on the APC-led federal government, he accused it of neglecting Bayelsa and the Niger Delta despite the region’s contribution to national resources. He cited poor roads, bridges and infrastructure, as well as weak representation in federal appointments, and urged voters to reject the APC. He also called on the people to protect the legacy of Niger Delta leaders, including Harold Dapabiriye, Melford Okilo, Isaac Adaka Boro, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and Edwin Clark, describing the NDC as a continuation of the region’s struggle for equity and justice.
The visit included the commissioning of the NDC state secretariat in Yenagoa. Obi and Dickson were later received at Dickson’s country home in Toru-Orua, Sagbama Local Government Area, with traditional performances and an Ijaw war boat regatta.
Dickson urged party members to carry the NDC’s message to their communities and resist intimidation in 2027. He called on security agencies and electoral officials to let voters decide the outcome, saying popularity should be tested at the ballot box.
Diri left the Peoples Democratic Party for the APC last year, along with 19 members of the state Assembly. Dickson refused to follow and founded the NDC