Dickson Slams Oyegun Over Alleged Misuse Of Govt Funds

Chief John Oyegun and Governor Seriake Dickson

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state has fired back at the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun over alleged misuse of funds accumulated from the federal government.

In a statement issued on Monday evening by his chief press secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor said he assumed office in February 2012 inheriting a massive debt profile of N332 billion, Daily Post reports.

He said: “Through prudent management and commitment to the ethos of good governance, that debt today stands at N90 billion. Out of the N440 billion that government received as allocation from the Federation Account, about N242 billion was used to help pay down that debt even as it embarked on an unprecedented level of infrastructural development and socio-economic welfare schemes.

“This is why the Bayelsa State government considers as very uncharitable the statement attributed to APC Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun that the government has nothing to show for that allocation from the centre.

“The APC chairman’s posture is highly curious given that he had warned against defections to his party after its victory at the March presidential elections, advising potential defectors to remain in their existing parties and help build a virile opposition in the interest of the development of the nation’s democracy. So why is the APC now welcoming the sudden influx of power prostitutes and fair weather politicians who spin cock and bull stories into its fold?

“Such defectors are no loss to us in the state and the APC richly deserves what it gets by welcoming and accommodating elements steeped in treachery into its ranks. But Chief Oyegun should kindly leave the Bayelsa State government out of its growing confusion.

“The state government is preoccupied with changing the lives of Bayelsans for good as is already evident in its transparent administration, commitment to good governance, landmark infrastructural development, empowerment of the people, free compulsory qualitative education, social welfare payments to the elderly and unprecedented health infrastructure”.

Reacting to the wave of defection that is hitting the PDP,  Seriake slammed these defectors and a body known as the Bayelsa Peoples Consultative Assembly (BPCA) saying their actions were motivated by greed.