By Emmanuel Aziken

YENAGOA—Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, yesterday, dismissed the gale of defections from his Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, describing the defectors as mostly men and women in search of federal appointment.

Noting that the defectors were the same category of people who also opposed his emergence in 2012, the governor listed former President Goodluck Jonathan as one who remains supportive of his second bid.

Saying that the crisis provoked by the defections paled to the pressures he had faced from other quarters, Dickson nevertheless expressed pain that virtually all the defectors were people that had been patronised by his government through contracts and consultations.

Gov Dickson

The governor, who spoke to newsmen in Lagos, yesterday, cited the case of Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who represented the Bayelsa West senatorial district between 2007 and 2015 and Dr. Stella Dorgu as examples of those he said were bent on sustaining themselves in office irrespective of the zoning permutations or the considerations of their people.

The governor spoke against the background of the defection of leading members of the PDP in Bayelsa State to the APC last weekend. Among the defectors were the immediate past state chairman, Col. Sam Inokoba (rtd), former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Timi Alaibe, Senator Lokpobiri among several others.

Asked if he still had the support of President Jonathan given the spate of defections, the governor said: “What I know about the former president is that he remains my elder brother and my leader, and we are working closely. If there is anyone who believes and who is supportive and understands the imperatives, the reasons why I should be re- elected, it is former President Jonathan.

“He believes I have done well and I am doing well for our state and for our people,” Dickson said.