Bayelsa Gov, Dickson, Denies Plans To Defect To APC

Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa on Thursday denied that he was planning to leave the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.

Mr. Dickson was responding to Wednesday’s defection ?comment? by the outgoing senator representing Bayelsa-East Senatorial District, Clever Ikisikpo, who claimed that the governor will soon join APC.

The lawmaker, while announcing his defection from the PDP, alongside other lawmakers from Bayelsa at the APC national secretariat on Wednesday?,? said Mr. Dickson will soon defect to the APC.

Mr. Dickson described Mr. Ikisikpo’s claim as uncharitable.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Yenagoa by the his spokesperson, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor berated Mr. Ikisikpo for his comments.

Mr. Dickson said the comments were made out of frustration.

“Ikisikpo wants to dignify his perfidy and rope Governor Dickson into his dubious defection scheme,” the statement said.

“A man who rose from relative obscurity through the platform of the PDP from 1999 as House of Assembly member and later to the National Assembly. And serving as a two term member of the green chambers and from there rose on the shoulders of President Goodluck Jonathan to the Senate.

“He could not even as a mark of honour and respect, wait for the President, his benefactor, kinsman and leader of a political party that gave him so much, to leave office before defecting to the APC.

“It shows the height of desperation, treachery, mischief and blackmail perpetrated by some of the so-called PDP leaders, who worked to deny the party victory at the polls even against one of their own.

“As a government, we are not surprised at Ikisikpo’s action and others like him. In fact, the public should expect many more defections in the days to come from those, who worked against the party in the State Assembly elections.

“It is pertinent to state that their leaving the party is of no consequence to the fortunes. We want to assure them that posterity will be the judge.”