By Brakere Birinimighan
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa State who happens to be one of the founding fathers of the state, Hon. Ofoni Williams has described Governor Henry Seriake Dickson as suffering from election fever.
Ofoni made this declaration on Tuesday, April 30, in Yenegoa, following Dickson’s rejection to give assent to the Lawmakers Pension Bill a forthnight. He said that there were many anti-people oriented policies and projects of the Dickson government.
He lampooned Dickson saying that the later was not out for the cry of the people of Bayelsa in his decline to the Bill, but he was geared to attract self pity.
Ofoni frowned that Dickson could not say he rejected the Bill whereas he was yet to pay workers and had shown unconcern attitude to promote them. The statesman harangued that the worst was that the people have had enough of power cut, no pipe born water and sundry unfriendly issues under Dickson.
He saw Dickson’s position as an exhibition of half intelligence, but no matter how hard he tried to make Bayelsans believe that he was intelligent, the people would not cast their vote for him in the November 2 governorship election in the state.
Ofoni showed apprehension that there are lawmakers who have served for four terms as against the some governors two tenure. Upon this, Ofoni said, the governors are well provided for in all ramifications while in office and even at retirement, while the House of Assembly members are left out.
He noted that the Governors Pension Act is discriminatory, adding that some governors that did not serve Bayelsa State optimally were included; while others were not. He also challenged Governor Dickson to tell Bayelsans why he refused to pay pension to ex-Governor Timipre Sylva who is the leader of the APC in Bayelsa.
“Governor Henry Seriake Dickson’s ‘expired’ antics are well known to Bayelsans. Declining his assent to the amendment of the Governors Pension Bill that sought to include former House of Assembly members is not in any way a plus to his government; particularly as it concerns the forthcoming governorship election in the state,” Ofoni said.
He continued, “I advise Governor Dickson to seek for better educated means of treating the election fever which his government is suffering from since INEC released the time-table for the gubernatorial poll in the state, and stop dancing Political Makossa.
“He should look for means of providing ointments that will eliminate the socio-economical and socio-political scars which his government inflicted on Bayelsans, since inception.”
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