Senator Seriake Dickson has warned that true democracy cannot flourish under the weight of blind loyalty and unquestioning political submission, insisting that “bootlicking and sycophancy have no place in a genuine democratic system.”
The president suspended Siminalayi Fubara, the Rivers state governor, Ngozi Odu, his deputy, and all house of assembly members for six months.
Tinubu also appointed Ibas as the sole administrator for Rivers state.
On a day set aside to honour Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy, Senator Seriake Dickson issued a sharp rebuke of what he sees as rising authoritarianism within the current administration—pointing specifically to the unfolding crisis in Rivers State.
He referenced President Bola Tinubu’s March 18 declaration of a state of emergency in the state, which was justified on grounds of a lingering political standoff and the sabotage of vital oil infrastructure.
On March 20, the senate and the house of representatives
controversially ratified Tinubu’s request for the emergency rule.
The presidency had said the decision to prevent further escalation of the political crisis in south-south state.
Speaking to journalists after the President’s Democracy Day address at the National Assembly, the Senator representing Bayelsa West said he refused to be “a bootlicker or a sycophant,” asserting that true democracy cannot thrive in an environment of suppression and political manipulation.
“There’s no better time than today to speak the truth,” Dickson said. “You cannot celebrate democracy with one hand while trampling on it with the other. I cannot be a bootlicker. I’m not in politics for contracts or appointments—I’m here because I believe in something bigger than myself.”
The former Bayelsa State governor expressed deep concern over what he called the ongoing “military-style administration” in Rivers State, referencing the controversial appointments communicated by the President to the Senate that morning.
He attempted to raise a constitutional point of order during plenary but was ignored by the Senate President, a move he described as “a blatant suppression” of his rights and privileges as a Senator.
“We all saw it,” he said. “The Senate President brushed aside my point of order and rushed through the communications. That’s not democracy. That’s dictatorship dressed in legislative robes.”
Dickson warned that the precedent being set in Rivers State could have dangerous implications for democracy nationwide. “If today it is Rivers, tomorrow it could be Lagos, Kano, or any other state,” he said. “You can’t declare a state of emergency, sack elected officials, and appoint loyalists to run a state—just because you lost political control. That’s not democracy, that’s a coup by another name.”
While acknowledging the President’s speech as “flowery and impressive in delivery,” he criticized its silence on the Rivers State crisis. “Not a single word was said about restoring democratic rule in Rivers State. That omission speaks volumes,” Dickson added.
He recalled difficult journey to democracy and urged citizens not to lose hope. “There was a time when people were thrown into detention for simply speaking up. Yet we survived. Nigeria survived.
“We must remain vigilant. Democracy is not built by cowards, bootlickers, or psychophants—it is built by people of courage and conviction.”
In his own words,
“Today, this morning, as we were in the Senate chambers, you were all there when the President’s communications about appointments in river states were read by the Senate President as required by the rules. And you were all there when I rose to raise a point of constitutional order, which I am entitled as a Senator to do.
“And the Senate President didn’t pay attention, didn’t respond, didn’t reply, brushed it aside, and then rushed all of us through the communications he read, and then we all went to the House That, again, is another blatant, suppression and disrespect for my right, my rights and privileges.
“I, or any Senator, by the Constitution and the rules, have a right to raise issues. And by the Senate rules, he has an obligation to listen to it. He’s got a majority behind what he’s doing. His majority can have the way. But my minority must always have my say. I’ll communicate that to the Senate president.
“A lot of us were embarrassed, and ashamed. But that’s about it. The communications were about deepening the undemocratic military rule that is still subsisting in River State. That was why I wanted to raise that point.
“If you have a military administration in the midst of a democracy that we are celebrating today, of all days, why did the president and the Senate president choose today, being Democracy Day in Nigeria, to read those undemocratic and unconstitutional and illegal communications at the chambers and would not even bother to take constructive objections and concerns. “Well, that tells you how the APC has reduced Nigeria’s democracy to. I take very strong objections to that. And listening to the president’s very flowery, otherwise impressive speech, let me say this. It’s a good thing to utter. Make beautiful declarations of principles and show democratic commitment.
“Words don’t show democratic commitment. What matters is actions, actions and actions. The president touched on some notes that were right, recognizing those who fought for democracy. And I was a young man in the trenches myself.
“But you cannot be celebrating democracy. You cannot be flaunting yourself as a democrat, on the one hand, and on the other hand, be trampping democracy under your big presidential foot.
“The president needs democracy, and on the other hand, missed a golden opportunity to raise and deepen democracy in Nigeria by restoring on today’s democracy day, democratic and normal civil constitutional rule in River State.
“Of all the things the president said, the president was silent about River State. And today is not about democracy. Today is not about repression. Today is not about suppression of the views of the people of River State. Today is about respecting and upholding the democratic rights under the constitution and the laws.
“These issues that some of us feel passionate about, it’s not because of Fubara’s nationality. It’s not about Fubara’s party, if he has any. And these days, it’s about the people of River State. These days, you can’t even be sure which party people belong to. But these are issues about respecting the democratic rights of the people of River State under the constitution.
“So I’m disappointed. Firstly, that the president never said a word about the undemocratic developments in River State.
“With this undemocratic precedent, the president, by pandering to particular political interests, has put the overall democracy of our people, particularly in big states like Lagos and Kano in the future in seeming jeopaddy, arising from the precedence the President has set, any other president from any other part of this country as no one can monopolize power forever, If he cannot get victory in Lagos and Kano and big states, he will declare a state of emergency, sack all constitutional civil authorities, appoint people, military administrators, appoint people to conduct local government elections, appoint people to run the civil service. We can’t allow that.
“And we pray that that day should not come for states like Lagos and Kano. What they are doing confirms the fear some of us have had since. Which is that what they tried to do in Lagos is a power grab.
“Today, I’m saddened that in spite of the beautiful rhetoric that the president came to the National Assembly to deliver, the president was silent about restoration of democratic rule and normalization of civil rule in Rivers State.
“I’m further saddened. And actually, I feel very sad that the National Assembly, the president of the Senate, will look at the National Assembly and the Senate in particular as a place where anything can be thrown at us and it would go. “Let me assure him and all of you and my constituents that they all know me for who I am, and it’s too late for me to change.
“Our nation cannot be a nation of psychophants. Our nation cannot be a nation of boothlickers. Democracy is not sustained by bootlickers and psychophants. I’m not in political service for appointments and contracts and money.
“Some of us are propelled by values that are bigger than us. And we have held on to these at great cost. So what he is doing is nothing to me. And the fight for democracy continues. I urge you all not to lose faith.
“In this nation, there was a time when people who voiced their opinions about democracy were hounded into detention. Where security agencies instead of focusing on fighting crime and criminality and bandits will be focusing on political people who are opposing political views. Well, Nigeria survived.
“We have seen situations where organizations set off to fight crime, fraud, corruption all turned their searchlights to suppress dissenting views. Our nation survived. The president himself was put on trial at some point. His triumph was not a personal one but a triumph of democracy.
“And I want to assure you all Nigerians that we should be more committed. Don’t be intomidated. Don’t be made hopeless. Democracy is sustained by hard work, by sweat, by tears. And this fight will not go. I thought that on today’s democracy day there will be no better way to wish you all and all Nigerians happy democracy day without making these few observations.
“Lastly, the president said he’s not working to achieve a one party state. That’s well and good to say. But like I said, words don’t matter more as much as actions.
“We count on the president as a democrat that he professes to be to respect the rights of Nigerians to opinions of their own to associations and platforms of their own as he himself expressed and to let his party leaders in the national assembly know that you can’t talk of democracy if views, dissenting views, opposing views in the national assembly are suppressed when you are running away from those who say no to you.”
