Wike, left, and Dickson, when the going was good

Ademola Adegbamigbe

Governors Nyesome Wike and Seriake Dickson of Rivers and Bayelsa States, in that order, are currently engaged in a verbal duel. The bone of contention is the return of Soku oil fields from Bayelsa to Rivers, a mistake committed ab-initio by the National Boundary Commission.

At a live media chat in Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital, Dickson, after launching some freewheeling diatribes against his Rivers counterpart, allegedly said Wike lacked “class and does not deserve courtesies.”

It was as if Dickson poked a stick into the mouth of a mamba! Thus, Wike reacted like an injured buffalo. He waxed religious: “Unlike you, l am a thoroughly bred Christian who stick to my Christian principles of one man one wife. l have three children from only one wife unlike some people who have Children from women from Cameroon, Niger and all over the place. l don’t shout about Federal Might fighting me in the day and at night pledge loyalty.”

In this pincer attack, Wike accused Dickson of sowing his wild oat with abandon and exhibiting multiple loyalty, meaning that the heart of man is deceitful above all things and it is desperately treacherous.

While many analysts argued that to stick to the Christian principle of one-man-one-wife is good (as such discipline will not strain the world population further) others disagreed with the Rivers Governor over his selective obedience of biblical precepts. They argued: “If Wike is not a polygamist, why has he refused to obey the rule of forgiveness, laid down by Jesus of Nazareth in the same Bible?” True. Jesus Christ, when his disciples asked how many times should a man stop forgiving people of their trespasses, told them 70 times 70 times a day. In other words, there is no sin that cannot be forgiven, more so in the world of politics where expediencies determine the shift of fidelity. The critics said this because Wike revealed he would never reconcile with Dickson.

In a press statement signed by Simeon Nwakaudu, his Special Assistant  on Electronic Media, Wike was reported to have said in an interview that there is no premise for the intervention by the PDP leadership,  since the Federal High Court has already determined the issue in question.

He said: “I don’t  know why they are interceding. They have no power to resolve the issue of Oil Wells. Secondly, the matter has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.

“Anybody who is not satisfied should go on Appeal.  Are they interceding on behalf of someone who betrayed the party?

“They know that Governor Dickson betrayed and sold out  the party. They know that during the 2019 election in Rivers State, what happened  in the state. That Dickson worked with my opponent.

“Throughout that period,  the National Chairman himself knows, that people were calling from all over the country to know the situation. Dickson never called one day.

“This was because of his alignment with the opposition  . I can show proof that Dickson had already made up his mind to go over to APC.

“I am not going to sit down with anybody to discuss anything as it relates to Governor Dickson. I have no business with Governor Dickson.”

Governor Wike said that the right thing for Dickson to do is to resign from the PDP, so that PDP leaders in Bayelsa State can rebuild the party.

“In fact,  Governor Dickson ought to have resigned from the party by now. So that the leaders of PDP in Bayelsa would rebuild the party.

“The National Leadership of the party should know that the only option left for PDP to be strong in Bayelsa is for Dickson to leave the party,” he said.

Prince Uche Secondus, PDP National Chairman

The Governor said that the party’s intervention is no longer profitable in view of the incalculable damage done by the Outgoing Bayelsa State Governor.

He said: “Where was the party when Dickson sold out? Why couldn’t they come out to speak out? Governor Dickson,  you have killed our party in that State. What is anyone wading in for? I am not going to be party  to that and nobody will stop me .

“Nobody fights Rivers State and gets any benefits out of it . I have said it severally.  I am not here because of my interest. I am here because of the interest of Rivers State.

“The party would have waded in when they saw fraud. That Dickson was killing the party in Bayelsa State. He has achieved his aim by making sure nobody comes after him as he leaves office in February,  2020.

“Do you know the effect of APC winning Bayelsa State? And they are talking of wading in.

As we published earlier on this platform, the war of words between Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State his Bayelsa counterpart, Governor Seriake Dickson over recent court ruling on the Soku oil wells and other matters get dirtier on Monday. Dickson had on Saturday launched verbal attack on the Rivers State Governor on a live television media chat in Yenagoa.

Wike replied his Bayelsa counterpart in the same kind on Monday while fielding questions from journalists at Port Harcourt. Wike began by attacking Dickson on the allegations that he(Governor Wike) has been sowing the seed of discord in Ijaw land for fighting for the return of the Soku oil wells, Wike said that he Dickson was playing the Ostrich.

“If he loves the Ijaw people of Rivers State like he claims,he would not be fighting to deny Ijaw people of Rivers the Soku oil wells that the National Boundary Commission,NBC,had admitted before the  court that it made mistake in ceding the Soku oil to Bayelsa in error,which would have been corrected in it’s 12th edition of the boundary adjustment map putting the correct boundary at Barbara not St Bathalomew.

‘In any case,l was sworn in as Governor to defend all that belongs to Rivers.I don’t make friends or play politics with what belongs to to my People”.

Wike said that he’s too refined to descend to what he described as gutter politics with his neighbour, Governor when he alleged that he Wike has been showing great disrespect to the Amanyanabo of Kalabari stool.

Governor Wike denied ever threatening to dethrone the Amanyanabo if he continues to welcome a fellow Governor in his palace in whatever guise without recourse to him as protocol demands.

“I don’t have right to dethrone any Paramount ruler, but I have Power as Governor to withdraw official recognition of any Paramount ruler doesn’t obey courtesies and protocol as required by his office because Paramount rulers are recognize by the state government.”

On the the allegations made by Dickson that Wike’s administration has been underdeveloping the Ijaw People in Rivers, Wike said: “I read Governor Dickson’s outburst on almost all national dailies today. I also watched it on television last night. As a governor, there are some levels you cannot descend to.

“It is unfortunate that frustration can lead to a lot of things. God will never allow me to get to that level. I understand the frustration, it was self-inflicted. Nobody inflicted the frustration on him.”

He challenged the Bayelsa State Governor, to a debate on projects executed in the eight local government areas of his state, compared to the projects has executed in the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.

Wike said: “If truly he is an Ijaw person, which of the Ijaw land am I causing disharmony? That I am protecting what belongs to Rivers people and you are coming to take it. Between us, who is causing disharmony.

“Before you said I have not done anything for Ijaw communities, let’s start from your state, you have been in government for eight years and I have been in government for four and half years, let’s check the projects in the two states.

“Akuku-Toru is an Ijaw local government area, let him go there and see what I am doing. Asari-Toru is an Ijaw local government area, let him go there and see our projects there. Bonny and Andoni are Ijaw local government areas, let him go there and see our projects.

“Bayelsa has only eight local government areas and Rivers State has 23. There is no local government area in Rivers State that does not have my project. Let him mention the projects in his eight ocal government areas.

“Go to Yenagoa, there is no street lights. Once you enter Bayelsa State, you will see only heaps of refuse. Am I the one under developing Ijaw land?Adams Oshiomole, national Chairman of APC accused him of building an Airport with N100 billion, but he claimed that he built the Airport with N70 billion.

He will leave office in next one and half months, and the Airport is not working. N70 billion will do a lot of things for the people of Bayelsa State.

“He converted Government House started by late Alamieyeseigha to Golden Tulip hotel. Dickson lacks class. Let him come and challenge me in a debate on the projects he did in the eight local government areas in Bayelsa State. We cannot be compared in terms of project execution.

“I don’t have any oil war with any state but I will not allow anybody take what belongs to Rivers State. I don’t go to see the President and night. I don’t negotiate that EFCC should not arrest me. I don’t shout federal might and say another thing tomorrow.”

Narrating the issues that left his administration with no other choice that to approach the Federal High Court for interpretation of the 2010 ruling of the Supreme Court, the governor said the National Boundaries Commission (NBC) failed to fulfil its promise to correct the error in the boundary between Rivers and Bayelsa States.

The governor said: “In 2002, we found out that NBC altered the map and put the boundary at St. Batholomew. When NBC admitted that they made an error, we said there is no need continuing at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court judge struck out our matter in 2012 and advised NBC to go and correct the error.

“After seven years, we approached the Court again, having found out that NBC did not correct the error. We only approached the Federal High Court for interpration of the Supreme Court ruling.

Judgement has been given, if you are not satisfied, you should go on appeal. I have a contract with Rivers.”

On the allegations that he lacked class and does not deserve courtesies, Wike Said:”… Unlike you,l am thoroughly bred Christian who stick to my Christian principles of of one man one wife,l have three children from only one wife unlike some people who have Children from women from Cameron, Niger and all over the place. l don’t shout about Federal Might fighting me in the day and at night pledge loyalty.

Reacting to the allegation by Dickson that Wike sponsored the opposition APC Governorship David Lyon to defeat Duoye Diri of PDP, Wike said the allegation was laughable, alleging that Dickson played “God” and was high-handed by shrewdly plotting his return to as a Senator without due regard to party elders and structure.

“The former President, an Ijaw, and elder statesman is disregarded and disrespected. Can you imagine that even the PDP Governors who came to join in campaign for the PDP candidate in  l provided the Vehicles to pick them at Port Harcourt Airport and same Governor was in charge of Logistics.

“It is on record that after the campaign in Yenagoa not a bottle of water was offered to them. We refreshed them in Port Harcourt. He should ask the PDP governorship candidate if l assisted him. Even when he dumped my friend Timi Alaibe. l don’t deny that l preferred Alaibe, but he thought otherwise.”

He alleged the Governor Dickson’s greedy political miscalculations, he laid a good foundation for PDP defeat.