Senator Seriake Dickson, the former governor of Bayelsa State, has appeared in a video circulating in the state in which he says he made Governor Douye Diri what he is today and that the governor has since turned against him, remarks that have revived scrutiny of one of the most consequential political relationships in Nigeria’s oil-producing south.

 

The clip is being shared widely online and is described by its posters as recorded during campaigning ahead of the 2027 general election.

 

The remarks attributed to Dickson mix a claim of political sponsorship with a complaint about the governor’s conduct. In the transcript, the senator says he installed Diri “in the name of fairness and equity,” claims he “defeated APC three times,” and accuses the governor of taking what he calls a hard-earned victory and “dashing” it to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) now the ruling party in Bayelsa.

What Seriake Dickson Said

“I made Gov Douye Diri governor of Bayelsa in the name of fairness and equity. I bought  form and sent him to house of representative and Senate without him spending a kobo. I defeated APC three times and now Gov Douye Diri, which I helped to become House  of representative member, Senator and governor, carried out hard earned victory to dash APC. He is now carrying shoulder, up and down.”

Public records show Dickson won the Bayelsa governorship as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in 2012 and was re-elected in 2015, when he defeated the APC’s Timipre Sylva.

The reference to “fairness and equity” aligns with the rotational argument long used in Bayelsa politics, under which the governorship is expected to move among the state’s three senatorial districts. Diri, from Kolokuma/Opokuma in Bayelsa Central, and Dickson, from Sagbama in Bayelsa West, come from different districts.

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How Douye Diri Became Governor

Diri’s route to Government House was not a straightforward election win. He was a senator representing Bayelsa Central when the 2019 governorship election was held, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the APC’s David Lyon the winner.

On 13 February 2020, the Supreme Court nullified that result over the credentials submitted by Lyon’s running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo.

The court directed INEC to issue certificates of return to the candidates with the highest number of lawful votes, and Diri was sworn in as governor on 14 February 2020.

Year Event Status
2012 Dickson elected governor of Bayelsa on the PDP platform Documented
2015 Dickson re-elected, defeating the APC’s Timipre Sylva Documented
2019 INEC declares APC’s David Lyon winner of the governorship poll Documented
February 2020 Supreme Court nullifies Lyon’s election; Diri sworn in as governor Documented
2020 Dickson returns to the Senate, representing Bayelsa West Documented
2023 Diri wins re-election; APC candidate Timipre Sylva loses Documented

 

Diri was returned for a second term in the November 2023 governorship election, in which INEC declared him the winner and the APC’s Sylva, a former governor himself, lost.

That result is central to the current dispute, because the senator’s remarks suggest he believes the governor’s camp did not adequately credit the party structure that produced the win. In the circulating clip, he presents himself as the architect of Diri’s rise and as the injured party.

Governor Douye Diri: Sworn in in February 2020 after a Supreme Court judgment and re-elected in 2023. No statement from the governor, his office or the Bayelsa State government as at the time of  this report.

Timipre Sylva: Former governor and the APC’s governorship candidate in 2015 and 2023.

The Supreme Court’s 2020 judgment created the legal basis for Diri’s first term. Nigerian political parties are preparing for the 2027 general election, and control of state party structures is already a live issue in Bayelsa, where the PDP has governed since 2012. Diri is now an APC member while Senator Dickson is now the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC) senatorial candidate and founder of NDC.