Will Dickson Succumb Like Akpabio?

POLITICAL NOTES

Former governor of Bayelsa State and senator representing Bayesla West in the National Assembly, Senator Seriake Dickson was on August 10, 2021, grilled by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).

Dickson has disclosed that he was interrogated over alleged diversion of N17.5billion ecological funds and assets declaration breaches.

He, however, expressed surprise that he was confronted with the case of alleged diversion of N17.5 billion ecological funds not contained in the EFCC invitation.

According to him, the commission had accused him of funding his re-election in 2019 with the funds.

“However on getting to the commission, the investigating team came up with a new allegation of diversion of flood funds in 2012 totalling N17.5 billion. The petition further alleged that the money was used for my re-election in 2019. The fact is that there was no such donation about the 2012 flood in Bayelsa.

“Curiously, there was no mention of donor or where the money came from,” he added.

Is Dickson, a strong PDP senator, being harassed so that he could defect to the ruling party like a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio?

EFCC had in 2015 allegedly commenced probe of Akpabio over alleged theft of N108.1billion, following a petition forwarded to the commission by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong.

However, nobody knows the outcome of the probe since he defected to the APC. Will Dickson succumb?

The events of the next few months will reveal the senator’s next step.