Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, who represents Sagbama/Ekeremor constituency in the House of Representatives, is also one of the cleared gubernatorial aspirants warming up to contest in the November 19 primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State. In this interview with select journalists, he speaks on what motivated him to contest the gubernatorial race and other sundry issues. Oluwole Ige was there. Excerpts:YOU contested election intothe House of Representatives twice and won. What informed your decision this time round to vie for the gubernatorial seat'I quite agree with you that the gubernatorial contest was not on the cards. The simple reason is that the gubernatorial primary had been held long before now. I am a loyal party man and my party took a decision in respect of judgment of the court that the governor of Bayelsa State and other governors' tenure should be elongated by one year, thus making the election, which ought to have been held last April, to be postponed to 2012.It was Governor Timipre Sylva and other four governors, who approached the court over the tenure issue and got an order, which made the election to be put forward because they wanted to gain one more year aside from the normal four-year term stipulated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. By electoral law, that necessitated the review of the party's timetable, which culminated in the schedule of a fresh gubernatorial primary. I am not somebody who is driven by raw ambition. The incumbent governor is not doing well, with the level of decay in the state, of which we are witnesses.Due to the dismal performance and growing rate of insecurity and the fact that the future of Bayelsans has been mortgaged, the average Bayelsa person has no hope in the ability of the government and the potentials of the state. Therefore, arising from those deep-seated feelings of disappointment and despondency, I am feeling uncomfortable with the state of despair among my people. As a matter of fact, I'm not the only one that is being pressurised to bring about positive changes.I know that some other well meaning Bayelsans, eminent stakeholders who have the same feelings and thoughts all because of the non-performance of the governor. My political ideology is predicated on service to humanity. I have been groomed over the years to play politics of service. Those who know my capacity to deliver can attest to this statement of fact. I believe that, at a time like this, it would be wrong for people like me not to be involved in the process that can bring about genuine change to the masses. I am in the race as a symbol of the change and hope that our people desire.Many of our leaders are not really prepared for the political position or leadership role and that is one of the banes of the nation. What is your take on this issue'I am absolutely prepared for service. I have practically demonstrated this attribute in all the positions, both public and political, that I have held in trust for the people. I'm even far more prepared than the governor, who has spent almost five years in the saddle. The simple truth is that Sylva, at the time he became governor, was not prepared for governance. He didn't have the right grooming and does not have the grasp of the problems confronting the people and the economic potentials of the state. I am not a reluctant leader.As you know, I am prepared to hit the ground running because of my background of service over the years. Unlike the governor, who has spent close to five years and is still learning the ropes, I would bring about quick and positive changes that would have multiplying effects on the welfare of the all. Otherwise, he won't promote violence as state policy. Sylva doesn't understand the problems and that is why we have the falling standard of education. This is a state with tremendous potentials. There is a crucial need to equip our people with knowledge through qualitative education so that they can participate actively, especially the youth. I have thorough understanding of the issues, challenges and the potentials, with which I can turn this state around for the benefit of all. I also understand the fact that consensus is imperative in this game; you need to persuade the people, even those that you disagree with. You don't coerce them. Are there times that you offered pieces of advice to the governor on how to move the state forward.The governor and I, as you know, have a long history of disagreements which are not personal. I said in my declaration speech that I disagreed fundamentally with the direction he was taking the state to. In actual fact, he is taking us backward. So, I disagree with him mainly because of his policies. We have retrogressed too much. All these are political disagreements and nothing personal about it.At a personal level, we are countrymen. We used to very close friends and I believe we are still friends. He remains a friend and brother that I disagree with purely on policy and political issues, regarding the running of Bayelsa State, in which we all have major stakes. He is not doing well in that perspective and I have a duty to provide a workable alternative.Who were the people who worked for his electoral victory' The DG of my campaign, as you know, was the one who led the struggle at the time he was elected in 2007. Thereafter, we worked with him because in politics, you have to assist people, more so if you are from the same political party. But what he did after getting to power was to dismantle all the structures and platforms that worked for his victory. These are the wrong steps he took. Instead of building consensus, he went the other way. He didn't stand the chance to become the governor, but power flows from God. People helped him to become governor.What again did he want' After his election, what the stakeholders wanted him to do was to build strong consensus. He was already governor. He refused to listen to advice from the people. A couple of times when I met him, I told him the truth, that our generation could not afford to fail, and also offered suggestions on the way forward. It is one thing to advice somebody, and quite another for the person to give you the access, not to talk of even listening to you and taking to your advice. That was exactly what happened.What he did was to build a cabal of people of like minds, who have a wrong notion of power. Power is to be exercised with humility, vision and fear of God. That was why Spiff, at the age of 26, became the governor and was very successful. Nobody has a monopoly of knowledge and, therefore, you need to respect and explore the ideas, opinions and inputs of others. We are now in a situation whereby instead of giving support to Bayelsa's sons and daughters who are at the federal level, from day one, there was a concerted state policy designed, supervised and implemented by the government to undermine every other person, especially those at the federal level. That is not right. In Ijaw land, we have the tradition of giving support and projecting ourselves. The state has remained polarised.Povertyhas been very rampant among the people of Bayelsa and there is growing unemployment rate, most especially among the youth. How do you intend to tackle these two monsters'When I become governor, the first thing I would do is to constitute an economy think thank group. This is because of the crucial need to harness the views of the key players. I have my views on what to do, but I have deep respect for opinions of others, especially experts in the different areas.
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