Former governor and senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, says he is confident that incumbent Governor Douye Diri will win the 11th November governorship election smoothly.
He said the coast was clear for Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, declaring that they were sailing to victory on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Dickson, who had not participated in the governor’s second tenure campaigns since it started three weeks ago, spoke on Wednesday in his Toru-Orua country home in the Sagbama Local Government Area when he hosted Diri and his campaign team.
A statement on Thursday by Diri’s Chief Press, Mr Daniel Alabrah, said the ex-governor threw his weight behind his successor and expressed conviction that the second tenure of the governor would be successful.
“I congratulate the Director-General of the Diri governorship campaign and his team for doing a good job by galvanising the base of our party.
“I can see that the coast is clear. From the eyes of an experienced hunter, l can see that your current hunt will be very successful”, the statement quoted Dickson to have said.
Dickson said the visit by Diri showed that the governor had not forgotten where he started his political journey.
“When l endorsed Senator Diri in 2019, all hell broke loose; but today, l am very happy that the Diri they said l imposed on them has become a good product for Bayelsa”, he added.
“The visit of the governor and his entourage demonstrates that a man who starts hunting in the thick forest, started from somewhere and this visit shows that he had not forgotten the road from where he got into that thick forest”, Dickson said.
In his remarks, Diri appreciated Dickson for his support over the years and dispelled any rumours of a rift between them.
“For the benefit of anybody who is in doubt about the relationship between Senator Dickson and me, l want to make it clear that there is no rift between us. I am sure beyond reasonable doubt that he is with me.
“What we are doing is to continue to expand our family. All those who were in our family that left, we have brought them back and they are all moving with us. So, this has become a movement. It has gone beyond a political contest. Anywhere we go, it is this organic support that we receive”, Diri said.
The governor also thanked the King (Pere) of the Tarakiri clan and the people of Bayelsa West Senatorial District, adding that he was sure of victory in the zone on 11 November.
At the event, a minute silence was observed in honour of the late Ekeremor PDP Caucus chairman, Chief Thompson Okorotie.
