Dickson to Wike: I was absent at Rivers Golden Jubilee because you didn’t invite me, says ‘despite attacks on my person, I won’t join issues with you’

As Rivers State concludes the celebrations of its Golden Jubilee, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State says “the Government of Bayelsa State was absent at the epoch-making ceremony because our Government and the good people of his state were not invited or involved in the planning for the anniversary which in actual sense should have been an event for both states; celebrating their history, bond, trials and achievements”.
Bayelsa was created out of Rivers State by the late General Sani Abacha on October 1, 1996.
A Government House statement by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, says the governor couldn’t have attended the event because the Government of Rivers State did not invite or involve the state.
The statement regretted the non-involvement of the Government and people of Bayelsa State at the anniversary celebration, in spite of the historical ties of the two sister states and the pre-eminent roles played by citizens and leaders of the states in the creation and development of Rivers State. The Governor, however, “congratulates the Government and the good people of Rivers State for a well-deserved Golden Jubilee”.
While expressing shock over the non-involvement of Bayelsa State in the anniversary celebration, the Governor said his government is ever willing to partner with the Government of Rivers State in the best interest of the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole. The Governor also said the bond between the two states is very strong, stressing that in spite of all the distractions and propaganda sponsored against his government, all Bayelsans, still regard Rivers State as home. He, therefore, calls on the people of Rivers State to live peacefully amongst themselves, adding that no meaningful development can take place without peace.
According to the statement, Dickson also acknowledges the attacks on his person by Wike but has in deference to the good people of Rivers State refused to join issues with him.
The statement adds that Dickson, as an older Governor, believes that both Rivers and Bayelsa states are not rivals but sister states that stand to gain by working together.
He, therefore, “calls on the people of both states to continue to live in peace as they have been doing over the years”.
The governor advises those who have a penchant for promoting discord, division and disunity for their selfish interest to desist from doing so but should rather promote unity and better understanding between the people of the two states and their leaders as Dickson will not give in to such antics “because the governor knows them very well”.