12th February, 2019
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, and Gov. Seriake Dickson have continued to trade blames over the current security challenges in Bayelsa.
Dickson had on Friday accused Lokpobiri and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being the masterminds of election violence in the state.
But Lokpobiri, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr George Orgi, alleged that Dickson was only engaging in a blame-game against the main opposition party in the state.
He described as false and malicious, the allegation that APC was “plotting to use the security agencies to rig, manipulate and unleash violence on voters in the state.”
He said: “In the warped imagination of the governor, the leadership of the main opposition party in the state is arming thugs with all sorts of ammunition and weapons to attack the electorate.
“This allegation comes as no surprise to those who are familiar with the political antics and deceit of the governor.
“APC is not surprised at this recent allegation by Dickson,” the minister further stated, adding that it had dawned on the governor that the game was up for him.
He boasted that APC was like a moving train in Bayelsa, which could not be stopped by anybody, including Dickson.
“The APC is moving in full force to claim the state, starting with a landslide victory at the Presidential and National Assembly polls,” he said.
He said that APC’s door-to-door campaign had commenced throughout the nooks and crannies of the state.
Lokpobiri said that the governor was “obviously frightened by the massive support APC was receiving in the state. “
He said that there was no reason for APC, “which is cruising to electoral victory, to either engage in political violence, store weapons or recruit political thugs.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the leadership of APC in the state, including former Gov. Timipre Sylva and Lokpobiri, recently marched to the police headquarters to protest the recent killing of some party members in the state.