Senator Seriake Dickson has stepped away from the Senate Committee on Local Content’s investigation into an alleged $14.8 million diversion linked to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva. And he did it for one simple reason — fairness. The Bayelsa-born lawmaker said he could not, in good conscience, sit on a probe involving someone from his own state and a predecessor he once inherited the governor’s seat from.
Dickson explained that he initially attended the session thinking it would be a routine engagement with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board. But once he realised the session targeted allegations surrounding Sylva, he removed himself immediately. In his words, if there must be a probe, then it should be “full-scale, not selective.” He argued that the entire management of the fund from the very beginning should be reviewed, not just one isolated transaction.
He reminded Nigerians that the EFCC had already taken action on the issue, and made it clear that he does not believe in political witch-hunts. Even though he and Sylva have been on opposite sides of Bayelsa politics since 2011, Dickson stressed that he has never engaged in tearing down opponents for political gain. For him, politics should be determined by ideas, strategy, and the people’s choice — not by undermining rivals after the polls.
The senator added that Bayelsa people are few, and everyone matters. If you can’t help someone, he said, at least don’t try to destroy them. That philosophy, he insisted, guides him whether he’s dealing with members of his party or those across the aisle.
As the probe continues without him, Dickson said his colleagues understood and respected his decision to step aside. His stance, he noted, is rooted in fairness, responsibility, and his duty as a former governor to protect and uplift people from Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta.
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