. . . Vows to buy his senatorial re-election form

A prominent power bloc, the Bayelsa West Progressive Forum (BWPF), has insisted that the Senator representing Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, must return to the Senate for a second term in office.

The BWPF leadership comprising top politicians and political office holders from Ekeremor and Sagbama Local Government Areas spoke when they paid an unscheduled early morning visit to the Maitama, Abuja residence of the Senator to felicitate with him on his birthday.

The delegation from Bayelsa West Senatorial Districtwas led by Hon. Mike Magbisa, Senatorial Vice Chairman of PDP in Bayelsa State; Hon. Dick Ebena Bekekeme, Chairman of BWPF; and Dr. Isaac Uki, Secretary, BWPF. The Chairman Bayelsa State Environment Sanitation Authority, Hon Tolu Amatu; Chairman, Sagbama Local Government Area, Embeleakpo Alale; and the Vice Chairman of Ekeremor Local Government Area, Randy Awolowo – among others – were also part of the delegation.

The Chairman of the BWPF, Hon Bekekeme, described Dickson as a visionary leader whose focus in politics is the promotion of the interest of the people.

He stressed that several members of the group are joining the long queue of interested constituents to be part of those that have volunteered to pay for Senator Dickson’s form for his re-election into the Senate.

He stressed further that Senator Dickson must return to the Senate “to continue with his good record as a mouthpiece chosen by God for the Ijaw nation.”

Bekekeme said that it is now Senator Dickson’s turn to step in and assume the role of leadership played by the late Chief Melford Okilo and the aged Chief Edwin Clark.

He said: “Senator Dickson is our leader and not just in Bayelsa State but also the whole of the Ijaw nation. Even the Senator cannot tell us that he is not going back to the Senate because his time in active politics is not over yet.

“You can see that Chief EK Clark is old and tired already. Our leader, Chief Medford Okilo, is no longer with us. Dickson has been chosen by God to lead the Ijaw nation. This is why whenthe time comes, we are going to buy the form and will return Senator Dickson back to the Senate.

“I can tell you that the most important decision we have taken from Bayelsa West Senatorial District under the umbrella of Bayelsa West Progressive Forum is that we will contribute money to pay for Senator Dickson’s reelection form to the Senate even if the Senatorial District’s form is the most expensive in the country.

“It is a fact that many people are already on the long queue to be part of contributors to fund the purchase of Senator Dickson’s Senatorial re-election form,” he said.

Bekekeme who said that the groupwas armed with their Permanent Voters Cards notedthat the Dickson re-election project cannot be stopped by anybody ‘as politics is a game of numbers.’

He recalled that Dickson was the first Governor to take on ambitious projects such as the establishment of universities, the construction of roads to connecthitherto unreachable parts of the state and several other projects.

In his reaction, the Senator thanked the members of the group who visited his residence from Bayelsa, Delta and other parts to felicitate with him on his birthday.

He said that while he would have loved to stop them from making the dangerous journeys on safety grounds as he had the habit of not having elaborate birthday celebrations, it was still a delight to see all of them.

He said that it had always been his practice to spend the birthday with those in need.