By Charles Okogene
To the gullible or ungrounded in the politics of Rivers state, Soku Oil Well, which was ceded to the Rivers State government by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, the way the oil wells initially ‘belonging’ to Cross River State under the governorship of Lyel Imoke were handed over to the Obong Godswill Akpabio’s Akwa Ibom State, is the root cause of the problem between Governors Nyesom Wike and Seriake Dickson.
No. The reasons for the crisis are much more than that. And those who are very grounded in the politics of the two neighbouring South/South states are aware and can tell you for free that the quest for who or, which ethnic nationality in the state produces Wike’s successor in 2023, is the real reason for the verbal crossfire.
Wike, it is rumoured wants his fellow upland man, in the person of former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Okpara, to step into his shoes as from May 29, 2023 while Dickson who arrogantly styles himself as the ‘white shark’, is against it. Dickson who recently lost in his bid to impose his anointed political godson, Diri, on the people of Bayelsa State, wants his Ijaw ethnic nationality to produce the next governor.
Ijaw like the people of Ogoni, has never been privileged to produce a governor of oil rich Rivers since 1999.
The recent visit of Dickson to the palace of a popular Amayanabo in Rivers State where it is suspected that he had gone to perfect the plan for an Ijaw governor of the state, is another reason.
“He is angry that Dickson did not tell he him that he was visiting the state. Yes, Dickson ought to have told him, but we know that he suspect that the issue of 2023 was top on of the agenda of the meeting between Dickson and the Amayanabo,” a source close to one of them told Newdawn before Christmas.
Though, in a recent press release issued on his behalf by his Special Assistant on Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, in which he called for the expulsion of Dickson from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike made it look like the Soku Oil Well was the real reason for their disagreement.
Wike said there was no basis for the PDP intervening in their feud since the Federal High Court had determined the matter concerning the Soku oil, which had been in dispute and led to their altercation.
Hear Wike:Well,“I don’t know why they are interceding. They have no power to resolve the issue of oil wells.
“Secondly, the matter has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
“Anybody who is not satisfied should go on appeal. Are they interceding on behalf of someone who betrayed the party?
“They know that Governor Dickson betrayed and sold out the party. They know what happened in Rivers State during the 2019 election, that Dickson worked with my opponent.
“Throughout that period, the National Chairman himself knew that people were calling from all over the country to know the situation. Dickson never called one day.
“This was because of his alignment with the opposition. I can show proof that Dickson had already made up his mind to go over to the APC (All Progressives Congress).
“I am not going to sit down with anybody to discuss anything as it relates to Governor Dickson. I have no business with Governor Dickson.
“In fact, Governor Dickson ought to have resigned from the party by now, so that the leaders of PDP in Bayelsa would rebuild the party.
“The national leadership of the party should know that the only option left for PDP to be strong in Bayelsa is for Dickson to leave the party.
“Where was the party when Dickson sold out? Why couldn’t they come out to speak out? Governor Dickson, you have killed our party in that state.
“What is anyone wading in for? I am not going to be a party to that and nobody will stop me.
“Nobody fights Rivers State and gets any benefits. I have said it severally. I am not here because of my interest. I am here because of the interest of Rivers State.
“The party would have waded in when they saw fraud. That Dickson was killing the party in Bayelsa State. He has achieved his aim by making sure nobody comes after him as he leaves office in February 2020.
“Do you know the effect of APC winning Bayelsa State? And they are talking of wading in.”
