The real reasons Chief Alex Ekiotenne, the Bayelsa Peoples Consultative Assembly spokesperson, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the All Progressives Congress (APC), were revealed on Thursday, July 9, 2015 by the Bayelsa Democratic Forum (BDF), which is a socio-political organization.
According to the BDF “Ekiotenne has decided to defect to APC because Governor Dickson turned down his request to hire one of his guest houses for a monthly fee of N150 million, as was the case during the previous administration of Timipre Sylva in the state.”
The BDF made these revelations in a statement signed by its Chairman, Tari Wellington and the secretary general of the forum, Ekpai Okurus, also stated that they wondered what could have prompted such ambiguous adventures on Chief Ekiotenne’s part despite having benefited very much from the Seriake Dickson led Administration.
They also said that Chief Ekiotenne alleged that Governor Dickson’s productivity and sustained performance was impaired by lack of strategic planning, prioritization among other factors.
The BDF claimed that the governor saw the hiring of said guest house as a total waste of already scarce resources and highly unnecessary which made him turn it down.
BDF said, “It is for this reason that, Chief Ekiotenne abandoned the PDP for the APC. But it is most embarrassing and disgraceful for a man, who has remained one of the major beneficiaries of the present government in Bayelsa state.
“Apart from holding multiple political appointments, Dickson also ensured that Ekiotenne was awarded contracts as well as appointments to his siblings, relations and close associates, based on recommendations from him.
“Bayelsans should be mindful of Ekiotenne and his cohorts, whose brand of politics is all about themselves and their immediate families, as they have never bothered about the overall interest of the people of the state. The action is being influenced by greed and selfishness, which have clearly become the dominant characteristics of Chief Ekiotenne and his likes.”
They further challenged Chief Ekiotenne to tell the people of Bayelsa the main reason for his defection instead of feeding them lies.
