Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson, has revealed that the late Deputy Governor, Dr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, turned down repeated appeals to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He disclosed this at a press briefing in Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State.

Dickson said he advised Ewhrudjakpo to join Governor Douye Diri in the APC to prevent political instability in the state, but the late deputy governor declined.

According to him, Ewhrudjakpo maintained that defecting to the APC without his political mentor would amount to betrayal, insisting on remaining in the Peoples Democratic Party.

He added that Governor Diri had on several occasions discussed his intention to leave the PDP for the APC, but he did not see any justification for the move.

Dickson said that even after Diri defected, he advised Ewhrudjakpo to follow the governor in the interest of the state’s political stability, which he said he had helped to sustain over the past 15 years.

“Lawrence told me he could not abandon the PDP, which gave him the platform to join the APC while his political mentor remained in the PDP,” Dickson said.

The former governor recalled that he first encountered Ewhrudjakpo in the late 1990s through his law practice and said he immediately noticed his strong sense of loyalty.

Dickson described his relationship with Governor Diri as cordial and assured of his continued support for the Diri administration for the remainder of its tenure. He said he had no regrets about the choice of Diri and Ewhrudjakpo as governor and deputy governor, noting that both worked together without friction.

He also criticised what he described as intense lobbying for Ewhrudjakpo’s replacement even before his burial on January 30, adding that with the burial concluded, the nomination of a replacement now rests with the governor.

“There is no contention about who should nominate a replacement for the late deputy governor.

“Even though I produced the governor and his deputy, I have neither interfered with the government nor sought any favours.

“For the six years so far, I have not put Diri under any pressure and will remain so for the remaining two years.

“Diri has not yet discussed the replacement of Ewhrujakpo with me, and if he tables it, then it can be discussed. It is entirely at his discretion as governor,” Dickson said. (The Nation)