Former President Goodluck Jonathan has officially endorsed the second tenure ambition of Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.
Jonathan took the stand at a reception held at his country home in Otuoke, Ogbia local government area of the state.
At the event, Dr. Jonathan had explained that he was supporting Dickson’s re-election bid based on the governor’s excellent track record of regular payment of workers’ salaries.
He also lauded Dickson for his achievements in infrastructural development and reduction of the state’s huge debt profile.
It would be recalled that Dickson had last week in Abuja, submitted his nomination and expression of intent form at the National secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to contest for a second term in office.
The governorship election in Bayelsa State is scheduled to hold on December 5, 2015.
Speaking when he received Gov. Dickson in Otuoke, Dr. Jonathan said his decision to endorse the ‘Countryman’ governor’s second tenure bid was based on his developmental strides in the state over the last three and half years.
“If Bayelsa is compared to other states in the country, in terms of the level of physical infrastructure, coupled with the degree of indebtedness in terms of bank loans and capital market, then Gov. Dickson deserved to be praised.
“I am not expecting the governor to score 100 percent, but there are three key parametres I will like to score Governor Dickson, which are payment of salaries, physical infrastructure and low indebtedness of the state in terms of bank loans”, he said.
The former president said that when compared to what had happened in other parts of the country, then Dickson deserved to be praised.
He said: “People should think more about the way the state is being run and prepared for our future generation. Bayelsa is not a cursed state.
“On the notion that governors in Bayelsa cannot do eight years, it slows down the rate of development and except there is continuation in government, development will be truncated.
“Performance is not about satisfying individual needs and so we need to encourage Governor Dickson to go for second term.” .
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