Politics
Dickson Cautions Workers Against Greedy Politicians …Signs Three Bills Into Law
As the country gears up
for the 2015 general elections, workers in Bayelsa State have been urged not to allow the political class use them to push interests that are inimical to the state.
Governor Seriake Dickson, who gave the advice during the May Day celebration at the Peace Park in Yenagoa, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the welfare of the workers.
He also reiterated his preparedness to engage the organised labour in discussing matters affecting their conditions of service and the wellbeing of Bayelsans at all times.
The governor stressed the need for civil servants to tread carefully, noting that greedy politicians, who do not have the interest of the state at heart, would stop at nothing to infiltrate labour with a view to actualising their sinister agenda.
While commending the state workforce for contributing to the achievements of the present administration, he emphasised that, all ongoing reforms of the government were intended to enhance efficient administration and productivity of the civil service.
According to the governor, “In view of the times that we are in, the organized labour should work hard to ensure that you don’t allow people, who want to contest for various offices to infiltrate your ranks, and even when you have legitimate complaints, let us not see political colour in them.
“ Even when we disagree, we remain open to work with you and engage you all, because in the first place, we are all citizens of Bayelsa State. So, we all have this state to develop by working together. There is no “us and them” situation, and as I keep saying, we, your political leaders are only tenants in this building called the public service, while the real landlords are yourselves. So, value the change that has come to you.”
Also speaking, the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Rtd), urged workers to be patient, assuring that government would do everything within its reach to ensure that all civil servants in the state were paid the arrears of the 18 per cent minimum wage.
Responding to some of the issues raised by labour, the Deputy Governor noted that in line with its policy of promoting efficiency of workers, the present administration has not only reopened the state public service training institute, but also appointed a Director General to oversee it.
According to him, the government has already acquired land to build the permanent site of the institute, adding that work on the project would commence soon.
In a joint address, the state councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) expressed appreciation to Governor Dickson for commencing payment of the N18,000 minimum wage arrears and pension gratuities to retirees and for the construction of modern school infrastructure in all parts of the state.
Meanwhile, Governor Dickson has signed into law three bills recently passed by the State House of Assembly. The bills are, Micro-Finance and Enterprise Development, Bayelsa State Maritime Academy, and the Bayelsa State Polytechnic.
Assenting to the bills in Government House, Yenagoa, Governor Dickson expressed optimism that the new maritime institution would be second to none in the training of seafarers, adding that the government is taking youth empowerment to the next level, where they would be productive and contribute to the growth of the economy.
Dickson, who noted that his administration was desirous of changing the trend where youths were dependent on handouts, said, the two new institutions; the Maritime Academy, Okpoama and the Bayelsa Polytechnic, Aleibiri, would help nurture the future of the youths.
He stressed that the polytechnic would specialize in providing technical skills to make youths employable and appealed to communities where the institutions are sited to ensure a conducive atmosphere for them to flourish.
Presenting the bills, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson, applauded the relentless efforts of the governor at improving the standard of living of the people, describing him as a visionary leader.
Rt. Hon. Benson said the signing of the Micro Finance bill was timely as it was coming on the heels of the 20th edition of the international conference on Small and Medium Enterprises holding in the state.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday brushed aside the order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which ordered him to stay proceedings in a suit that sought deregistration of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Accord Party and three others.
The Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision of a panel of three Justices had on May 22, 2026 directed the Federal High Court Judge not to proceed with the suit until an appeal pending before them and filed by Accord Party is resolved.
In a Certified True Copy Enrol Order of the Superior Court, Justices Mohammed Danjuma, Adebukola Banjoko and Oyejoju Oyewumi asked the lower Court Judge to stay proceedings until all issues on the appeal filed by the Accord Party were resolved
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State had, through the Accord Party, applied to justice Lifu to join him as a defendant in the deregistration legal battle instituted by a group of former legislators.
The contention of the Osun State governor was that he had a stake in the Accord Party, being the platform he was seeking re-election in the August 15 gubernatorial poll in the state.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu on April 27 ruled against the Osun State governor, rejecting his request to be joined in the suit to defend his own position and interest.
Not satisfied with the Federal High Court decision, the Osun State governor, through his lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), moved to the Court of Appeal in Abuja where he challenged the Justice Lifu decision to refuse to allow him join the suit.
After listening to the argument canvassed, especially that he has interest to protect as Accord Party gubernatorial candidate for Osun State governorship election, the three Justices of the Court of Appeal, unanimously directed Justice Lifu to allow them look into the grievances of the governor.
In specific terms, the Court of Appeal Justices directed Justice Lifu not to proceed further with the matter and fixed October 27 to determine the interlocutory appeal of the appellant.
However, when the certified enroll order and notice of appeal were served on Justice Peter Lifu by Mr Adetunbi (SAN), the judge rejected it on the ground that it was a ploy to arrest his judgment in the matter.
Although the judge had adjourned his judgment delivery in the matter indefinitely, he finally made a dramatic turn around on Monday and proceeded to deliver the judgment that has now proscribed the five political parties.
Actor turned politician, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, has rejected the choice of former Rivers State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement on Monday, Mallam Bolaji Abdulllahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, announced the party’s choice of Mr Amaechi.
However in a statement, Mr Okonkwo said that the choice of Mr Amaechi from the South South strengthens the continued marginalization of people from the South East.
According to the former spokesperson of the Labour Party, any arrangement that would not factor a person from the South East either as president or vice president in the party is anti-Igbo.
He contended that Chief Raph Nwosu, who founded the ADC in 2005 and willingly surrendered it’s leadership to Senator David Mark did not do so to entrench Igbo marginalization in the party.
The former actor said: “I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East.
“This geo-political zone has neither produced a president or vice president since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the president or vice president in the ADC in 2027, will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in marginalisation of my own people further. I am of the opinion that if we made a sacrifice to give up the national chairman and the president, it will amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the vice president in 2027.
“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geo-political zone, or person will be marginalised.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his vice.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as president or vice in 2027”
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, on Monday said that the numerous projects being executed by President Bola Tinubu across the states in the southeast will give him upper hand over other presidential candidates during next year’s general elections.
Prof. Yilwatda stated this at the Abakaliki Township Stadium during a mega rally organized by the Ebonyi State government and Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, during which President Tinubu and other APC candidates for the 2027 general elections were adopted.
According to the APC National Chairman, no President had done for the southeast region what President Tinubu has done for them and expressed the confidence that the president would not only win in Ebonyi State but in the entire South East.
Prof. Yilwatda also used the occasion to address growing insinuations in some quarters that Ebonyi State had been conceded to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dismissing the claim, Prof. Yilwatda said the state would not allow the PDP to win any position in the forthcoming general election.
“We will return President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Francis Nwifuru as Governor of Ebonyi State in 2027.
“We want to return all APC senators, members of the House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates in 2027.
“Nobody has conceded Ebonyi to the PDP. Therefore, there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State. Ebonyi PDP has no place, and there is no vacancy at all in the Government House come 2027,” the APC National Chairman declared.
He commended the people of the state for their support for President Tinubu and urged them to re-elect him in the next presidential election in appreciation of what he has done for the state and the entire South-East through infrastructural transformation and human capital development.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, who also spoke at the event, said the state had no other presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections apart from President Tinubu.
He declared that Ebonyi remained a stronghold of the APC and vowed that the party would deliver the President in the state.
Gov. Nwifuru said President Tinubu had shown exceptional commitment to the state and deserved total support for appointing Senator Umahi as Minister of Works, a role he said Senator Umahi had performed creditably.
“Ebonyi has no other presidential candidate apart from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we will return him in the presidential election.
“We are standing here today to tell the whole world, especially those using the President’s name to orchestrate division and confusion in this great state, that we have only one party, and that is the APC.
“This statement became necessary because some people are going around claiming they have discussed with Mr President and that he has handed Ebonyi over to the PDP. They are also saying that Chief Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike said the President has given Ebonyi to him.
“Ebonyi is not for sale. We are restraining ourselves because the people are with us. Nobody should push us because we have what it takes to confront anyone trying to destabilise us.
“We want to tell Mr President that he has earned our votes. He gave us what we had never had in Eastern Nigeria — the office of the Minister of Works. And this Minister of Works is not sitting idle; he is working,” he stated.
Senator Umahi, in his remarks, said President Tinubu had done what no other President had done for Ebonyi State and the entire South-East by executing numerous projects across the state and the region.
“Ebonyi State is a one-party state under Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. We are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done a lot, not just for Ebonyi State but for the entire South-East and other geopolitical zones,” he said.