The Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congres (APC) has issued warnings to the Governor Seriake Dickson to desist from using the names of traditional rulers for political gain ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial elections.
The party noted that Dickson and the PDP had been making false claims that traditional rulers adopted their party’s candidate.
The Chairman of APC Contact, Reconciliation and Integration Committee, Chief Dikivie Ikiogha, revealed this in a press statement in Yenagoa the state capital.
Ikiogha described the act as lies and mere propaganda. Adding that Governor Dickson and PDP had failed to do anything that would warrant the adoption of their governorship candidate by the monarch.
He also noted that given the high level of disconnect between the people and Dickson’s government, no traditional institution apart from the council of Chiefs in Toru-Orua, Dickson’s community in Sagbama, would identify with the PDP’s candidate, Senator Douye Diri.
Ikiogha’s statement reads in part “I am a member of the Epie Council of Chiefs and a member of Epie-Atissa Joint Council of Chiefs. I am a political leader in Epie-Atissa and being a member of the council of chiefs, I was supposed to be there when the governor visited the council of Chiefs. But I was unavoidably absent.
“Nevertheless, it has never been in history that a courtesy call by a governor to a council of chiefs would amount to adoption. So, the Epie-Atissa never adopted the PDP candidate at all. When I got the information, I called the king because I know that this one would never happen.
“I know that the APC candidate, David Lyon is a son to King Sasime. I wanted to know from the king and he said there was nothing like that. I asked the secretary of the council and he said there was nothing like that. They only received the governor and his team as the tradition demands.
“Anybody contesting election in the state visits the palace to introduce themselves and tell them they are contesting the election and the usual traditional matter is to bless the person. That was what was done.
“But I have noticed that any traditional council Dikcosn visits, they come out with the story that the people have adopted their candidate. Dickson has not done well to attract adoption from any group of people.”
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