Kinsmen of Bayelsa State Information Commissioner, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, have warned some politicians in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over attempts to pitch him against Governor Henry Seriake Dickson regarding the choice of the party’s running mate.
The Ogbia Local Government Area under the auspices of the Ogbia Restoration Crusaders (ORC) said they were no longer comfortable with the way some politicians hiding under faceless groups were trying to run down Iworiso-Markson over issues he knew nothing about.
The Director-General, ORC, Damson Okaniba, said persons behind the plot believed that by dropping the name of their kinsman and making unfounded allegations against him, they would cause bad blood between him and his principal, Governor Seriake Dickson.
Describing such efforts to tarnish the image of the commissioner as futile, Okaniba, who referred to Iworiso-Markson as a true son of Ogbia kingdom from Opume, said their brother had distinguished himself as a thorough-bred professional in the Restoration Government.
Okaniba noted that for about eight years, the commissioner worked assiduously with Governor Dickson showing unalloyed loyalty, unparalleled commitment and unmatchable dedication in all the tasks assigned to him especially in projecting and propagating the policies and programmes of the Restoration Government.
He said the uncommon passion and zeal the commissioner deployed in discharging his duties endeared him to his principal, the governor, who over the years forged a good relationship with him to the admiration of most persons and condemnation of few jealous individuals.
According to him the efforts of such politicians to create problems between the commissioner and the state governor continued to fail because Dickson understood and appreciate the qualities of their brother.
Okaniba said that the latest efforts through sponsored faceless group, the Bayelsa East Forum for Justice, to link the commissioner to persons expressing their angst against the choice of the PDP running mate were designed to create an impression that their kinsman was against the governor.
While noting that such attempt would still collapse like a pack of cards, Okaniba said their brother had never expressed any ambition of becoming a running mate and had never taken a position at variance with his boss.
Okaniba said: “We state categorically that our kinsman has never shown interest in and desperation for any political office. He has neither expressed any desire to be a running mate nor to run for any political office in the current political dispensation. Our brother will never query any political decision taken by his principal because of his loyalty and the fact that it is not in his character to work at a variance with the Restoration Government. We know for sure that our kinsman, Iworiso-Markson, has always expressed his willingness to work hard in bringing to fruition any decision taken by his boss and the restoration government.”