Bayelsa Road: You can’t take credit for Dickson’s efforts, Sylva warns Diri

The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Tuesday said Ex-Gov. Seriake Dickson of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) deserves credit for his work on the Sagbama-Ekeremor road project. Sylva applauded Dickson, who is now Senator representing Sagbama/Ekeremor at the National Assembly, for taking a road to Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state after over 40 years. Sylva was received by a jubilant crowd when he drove on the road to Ekeremor for his ongoing campaign for the governorship election, slated for Nov. 11. He said it was absurd for the incumbent Governor, Douye Diri, to try to take credit for the road constructed by his predecessor. He said: “We are grateful to former Gov. Dickson for executing this very vital road. He has written his name in Gold and left a legacy that would speak for him through time. “We must give credit to who deserves it and that accolade must go to Dickson. It is a sign of ingratitude for Gov. Douye Diri to appropriate the road to himself”. Sylva also hailed the people of Ekeremor for their overwhelming warm reception accorded him when he campaigned in the area ahead of the poll. He wondered why Diri had developed the habit of re-inaugurating projects executed by his predecessor without making any reference to former Gov. Dickson. He observed that without the sacrifices, hard work and foresight of Dickson, Diri would not have become a governor. He recalled that Diri failed the popularity test in 2019 when he was roundly beaten by the APC, predicting that he would fail again in November. The former Governor appealed to Ekeremor people to keep faith with him, saying that he would fulfill all the promises he made to them when elected in November. It will be recalled the former Gov. Dickson had taken to Sagbama-Ekeremor road project to Ekeremor but the 2022 flood destroyed sections of the road, which Gov. Diri fixed. Diri had in his own campaign in the area claimed that he reconstructed the damaged sections, including bridges earlier done by his predecessor and pledged to extend the road to Agge where the state plans to site a seaport.