Dame Patience Jonathan’s unsuccessful effort to undermine Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State backfired with the April 11 House of Assembly elections.
That was the view of Chief Peretimi Akari, Chairman of Bayelsa Grassroots Initiatives who addressed the media in Lagos on Monday. Chief Akari said his position stems from the resounding victory recorded at the just concluded polls, just as he said that his group has vowed to continue to expose all enemies of progress in Bayelsa State.
Chief Peretimi who literally relocated to Lagos in the heat of struggle to wrestle Bayelsa from Patience Jonathan’s grip, said, “Bayesla State has spoken with the April 11 polls despite the show of shame by Mrs. Jonathan and her political thugs. Why President Jonathan kept mute while his wife stifles the state of needed federal presence, just because she is not getting her ways, instead of the people, remains very disappointing. That beats us hollow “He stressed that, “Though Jonathan speaks on the need for Bayelsans to continue working with Dickson for a continued developmental stride since assumption of office three years ago, his actions are contrary as there has not been deliberate effort to support the state on infrastructural development from the presidency. Take a visit there and you will discover that all the projects in Bayelsa are state funded”. He further explained; “The truth is that the governor’s offence is bringing sanity to governance as he started by cutting costs from government house; put a stop to the inflation of salaries and getting the civil servants to sit up. That definitely did not go down well with the beneficiaries; especially, when he stopped the N250million that his predecessor was dolling out monthly to some cult groups.”
Another factor he pointed out was that before now civil servants in the state hardly ever go to work except few days to month end when they come to collect their salaries. But the situation is changing. He asked rhetorically; “Why would Mrs. Jonathan be fighting a performing governor who has touched almost all the communities with his statewide infrastructural development stride? What they are failing to understand is that Bayelsans were not for Jonathan, but mainly for the governor who has remained a grassroots person. And the embarrassing situation of the Bayelsa politics is why Dame Jonathan overstretched her luck instead of working with the governor to save the situation from damaging the party’s fortune.
“President Jonathan said recently to Bayelsans that: ‘I have noticed that you have been instigated by people who don’t like us… Don’t allow anybody to deceive you. I am telling you as your brother. I am telling you as your uncle. You must work with the government to make sure that we develop this state. You have to work with us.”
“In all this, an accusing finger points at Mrs. Jonathan and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Domestic and Social Events, Hon Waripamo-Owei Dudafa. We have it on record that Hon. Dudafa, a former member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, and a Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs under former governor, Timipre Sylva, has largely been used by Mrs. Jonathan to undermine the governor.
Akari said it all started when Dame Jonathan tried hoisting Dugafa as deputy governor to Dickson, but the governor, rather offered him a commissionership slot which he turned down. “And instead of the President’s wife who was championing his case to see reasons with Dickson, Dudafa was taken to Abuja and elevated as a Senior Special Assistant to the President on Domestic and Social Events. Your guess of that position is as mine.”