As campaigns intensify for the forthcoming governorship election in Bayelsa State, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has alleged that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is playing money politics.
Dickson, who made the allegation during a live media chat on Wednesday, said the APC is offering between N10 million and N20 million to some politicians to defect based on their status.
He also alleged that the APC is also using promises of federal appointments as bait to secure defections, but warned the opposition to beware as those who are defecting can easily leave if offered more money.
The governor said the APC is in disaster and that an organogram of the party he saw does not contain names of members who fought in the 2015 election, saying only new names were on it.
Governor Dickson criticised the Federal Government over the manner it handled security breaches at Peremabiri in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and Bassambiri in Nembe Local Government Area during the past general election.
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He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) knew full well that voters had been chased out of Bassambiri, but went there the next day to conduct election without the use of voters’ cards.
According to him, the internally displaced persons ( IDPS) from the crisis at Peremabiri are yet to return and he assured that since the IDPS are registered voters, they would be resettled so that they can participate in the forthcoming election.
Dickson appealed to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva to focus on how to use his office to benefit the people and not use his position to engage federal security officers to intimidate his own people during the election.
He, however, assured that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign he is leading would come out victorious as the party remains the most populous in Africa with a message of hope for the people and that the crowd at campaign grounds is a confirmation of the party’s strength.
Dickson praised the efforts of the various reconciliation committees that have been set up at both the federal and state levels to reconcile aggrieved members following the outcome of the primary election disclosing that several have returned except one.
