Governor Seriake Dickson

Governor  Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state , has ordered chairmen of local government councils and other elected officials and appointees of the ruling PDP to reside in their various council areas.

The governor gave the order on Thursday in Yenagoa at a meeting he held with the chairmen and other political appointees.

He said the order would enable them to work for the victory of the party in the Dec. 5 governorship poll.

He said it was time for the appointees to give back to the party that they had benefitted from it in last three years and urged them to embark on “Operation Deliver Your Wards and Local Governments.”

Dickson said: “Now, more than ever before, you have got to connect with our people beginning from your communities, constituencies, wards, local governments and the rest of the state.

“The report I have is that local government chairmen do not stay in their local government areas.

“I have given them marching orders that, from now on, they should reside in their local government headquarters and preside over party affairs and not in Yenagoa anymore.

“This is a game of service and you don’t do it alone; you play it with others. There is no man who is strong enough to make himself a political leader.

“You have got to tell the restoration story louder than ever before. As a government, we have not failed our people.

“I will be the last person to acknowledge that we have solved all the problems of our people, but we have shown commitment to making a difference and this is collective responsibility.

“So, go into the state with zeal and commitment and tell the people our record of achievements with pride.”

The governor said he would formally announce his intention to contest for second term on the Sept. 8 and urged the party stalwarts to engage in issue-based campaigns.

He called on members of the PDP who had defected to the APC to retrace their steps, saying the PDP umbrella was big enough to accommodate them.