Former Governor of Bayelsa State and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Henry Seriake Dickson, has taken a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of consistently turning grave national matters into political weapons.
Dickson said this was evident in the past prosecution of a former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), despite having no case against him.
Naijaonpoint reports that Oke, who was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan to head the NIA, faced corruption allegations under the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Dickson insisted the prosecution, which was eventually withdrawn, was politically motivated.
Speaking after the Senate screened President Bola Tinubu’s first batch of ambassadorial nominees, including Oke, Kayode Are, and Aminu Dalhatu, the senator said the ordeal “should not have happened in the first place.”
As Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Dickson said he specifically questioned Oke on the circumstances surrounding his exit from office.
Dickson, writing on 𝕏, said, “I asked Oke, pointedly, to clear the air on the controversies leading to his exit from office. In his answers, Ambassador Oke… explained the issues leading to his departure from office and furnished us with a copy of a court order affirming his acquittal, following the withdrawal of the case against him.”
He said the development confirmed his long-held view that the APC indulges in selective prosecution. The senator accused the APC of weaponising some of the country’s most critical issues.
According to him, “Since its formation, the APC has always played politics with serious national issues such as corruption, terrorism, and the economy.”
He added that the party “politicised and ethnicised the Boko Haram and terrorism challenges,” which he said worsened during its administration, even with a President from the North.”
Dickson further accused the party of double standards on fuel subsidy.
“They played politics with the attempt at reduction of fuel subsidy, but have now turned around to impose a harsher version of total subsidy removal, which has plunged Nigerians into poverty,” he said.
‘Oke Was A Victim Of Vendetta Against PDP’
Dickson likened Oke’s experience to that of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
“After listening to Mr Oke’s explanation, I have no doubt that he was a victim of the APC’s misguided vendetta to criminalise the PDP and its leadership,” he added.
While stressing that no one opposes a genuine anti-corruption fight, Dickson said it must be fair and non-selective.
“It must be fought across board, as all are equal before the law,” he said.
Dickson cautioned that offices such as the National Security Adviser and the intelligence community should be handled with utmost discretion.
“These are strategic tools in the hands of the President and the nation, and must be jealously protected… in order not to compromise the security architecture of the country,” he warned.
He stressed that once a President issues a lawful order, the intelligence chief executing it must be protected. Dickson said he voted to clear Oke following the withdrawal of the EFCC case, which he insisted “should not have started in the first place.”
He added that he also backed the confirmation of the two other nominees, Kayode Are and Aminu Dalhatu, describing them as “very experienced and eminently qualified Nigerians.”
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