Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a blistering attack on Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, over his comments on the November 16 governorship election won by APC candidate, David Lyon.
The party in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Doifie Buokoribo, asked Dickson to stop threatening the state and trying to raise tension following the electoral defeat of his candidate.
It urged Dickson to toe democracy path and rule of law by taking his grievances to the court.
APC, which frowned at Dickson’s continued efforts to disparage the election with his allegations and comments against the opposition party, state institutions, including the electoral body and security agencies, said “he has absolved only himself and his section of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of blame.”
The party, which reminded Dickson that he is not a court of law, stressed that attempts to discredit an electoral process and incite the public are not democratic norms the governor should encourage.
“Dickson has displayed everything, but commitment to democratic ideals and legal processes of electoral conflict resolution. We, however, unequivocally state and also remind Dickson that the elections have been concluded and the governor-elect, Lyon, is only waiting to be sworn into office. And for those who feel aggrieved, like Dickson, there are constitutionally prescribed processes open to them to follow to redress their grievances,” APC said.
Meanwhile, Governor Dickson has admonished the political class to guard against politicisation of the civil service to ensure effective service delivery.
Dickson stated this at the swearing in ceremony of the new Head of Service (HoS), Biobelemoye Charles-Onyeama, in Government House, Yenagoa.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Fidelis Soriwei, quoted the governor as having charged the new HoS to mobilise the permanent secretaries and workers to operationalize policies and programmes of any government in power.