S'Court verdict: Bayelsa NASS Caucus Congratulates Dickson, Pledges Support

Bayelsa Caucus of the National Assembly has restated its commitment to collaborate with the Dickson-led administration to attract various development projects and programmes to the state. Chairman of the Caucus, Senator Foster Ogola stated this on Monday, when he led members to pay a solidarity visit to Governor Seriake Dickson in Government House, Yenagoa. Congratulating Governor Dickson on his victory at the Supreme Court over his re-election, Senator Ogola commended the Judiciary for living up to its reputation as the bastion of hope for the protection of the fundamental human rights of the citizenry and the nation’s democracy. He described the present administration of the state, as development-oriented, noting that, the recent victory has proved beyond reasonable doubt, that Bayelsans voted massively for the Peoples Democratic Party, in view of Governor Dickson’s landmark achievements in his first tenure. According to him, the caucus will do everything within its reach to support the restoration government in actualising its vision in all spheres of development to take Bayelsa to the next level. Responding, Governor Seriake Dickson expressed gratitude to the caucus for their show of solidarity and the various roles they played during and after the elections, culminating in his serial victory in the Judiciary. Governor Dickson, who said the victory was a collective one for Bayelsans and the entire Ijaw nation, called on all to key into the development agenda of the state government, towards ensuring peace, stability and prosperity. While lauding the chairman and members of the Caucus for their effective representation of the state, the Governor noted that, their contributions and motions on the floor of the National Assembly have given Bayelsa a voice at the centre. In an interview with Government House correspondents, Senator Ben Murray Bruce (Bayelsa East), Hon. Douye Diri, (Yenagoa/Kolokuma Opokuma Federal Constituency) and Hon. Sodaguo Festus-Omoni, (Ogbia) called on members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to join forces with the restoration government in the development of the state. Senator Murray-Bruce, who is the Chairman of the senate committee on Privatization, highlighted efforts aimed at tackling infrastructural deficit in the state in the areas of power and water supply, as well as healthcare delivery to improve the welfare of the people. He explained that, he was proposing an Alternative Energy Bill to address the power supply challenges, noting that, efforts are on, to power about 150,000 homes annually across the country. Also in his contribution, Hon. Douye Diri called on the Federal Government to carry Bayelsa along in its policies and programmes in the agricultural sector, to ensure food security in the light of the environmental degradation arising from crude oil production in the state.