Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West) has explained why he cannot be part of a Senate panel investigating former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who was also his predecessor as governor of Bayelsa State.
Dickson said he recused himself when he discovered that the Senate Committee on Local Content had summoned an investigative hearing into allegations of diversion of $14.8 million by Sylva. In a detailed statement posted on Facebook, the senator argued that the inquiry was too selective.
“When I discovered that the hearing was specifically summoned for that purpose, I raised objections — firstly, on the ground that there should be no selective inquiry; that the entirety of the management of the fund, perhaps from inception, should be investigated, if at all, and not just one transaction,” he wrote.
Dickson added that while the committee has the powers to decide what to investigate, the matter was already being handled by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had taken steps and reached a certain level.
“I thought the Committee need not investigate that particular transaction, even though it has the powers to do so,” he said.
“I Don’t Do Pull-Him-Down Politics”
The senator also drew attention to his political differences with Sylva, stressing that he cannot be seen to be attacking an opponent. “I recused myself because the person affected is a former governor of my state — my predecessor in office, and I have a policy of not joining to fight or pull down anyone,” Dickson explained.
He insisted that his politics is limited to campaigns and elections, not destroying opponents after contests.
“I am not like other politicians from my area or the typical politicians in Nigeria who celebrate the downfall of opponents and people they disagree with. I have always limited political contest to campaigns during elections, where I outplan, out-campaign, strategize, and defeat them on the ground and through legal processes, but never by trying to bring anyone down after elections,” he said.
Dickson emphasised that he has extended support to Bayelsa politicians at the federal level regardless of partisan differences.
“We are few; everyone is important. If you cannot help someone, leave the person alone, and don’t destroy them. That has been my policy, which I have practised and taught for several years,” he added.
The EFCC declared Sylva wanted on November 10 over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.8 million belonging to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The commission urged members of the public to provide credible information that could lead to his arrest.
Reacting, Julius Bokoru, Sylva’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, described the EFCC’s declaration as a “coordinated political onslaught” aimed at tarnishing Sylva’s reputation.
“It is, to say the least, curious that what was once whispered in corridors as a ‘coup matter’ has now quietly metamorphosed into a financial allegation. The same shadowy forces that once sought to criminalise Sylva politically now appear to have reinvented themselves as fiscal crusaders,” Bokoru said.
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide also expressed reservations over the EFCC’s decision to declare Sylva wanted, warning against politicization of anti-corruption efforts.
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