They also maintained that the governor is putting undue pressure on the management of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) to withdraw contracts awarded to members of the party, noting that Dickson’s action may create a crisis in the state.
In a petition, signed and issued in Yenagoa, by the state APC Chairman, Mr. Jothan Amos and Secretary Alabo Martins, the party said “Only last week, the state Assembly invited one of our members whose company works for AGIP, to appear before it on allegations of breaching peace in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
“This is a company whose personnel do not bear arms, but work with conventional security such as the JTF (Operation Delta Safe), Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Nigeria Police and the Department of State Service, DSS, noting that suspects arrested in the course of its duty are handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.”
The party also alleged that in recent past, Dickson held series of meetings with the company, claiming that by retaining the party members as contractors Agip was funding an alternative government in the state, adding that members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are also contractors in the same company.
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They questioned why Dickson would want to choose clients for a multinational oil company whose sole aim is to work with clients that meet their professional standards and not politics, adding that Bayelsa belongs to everyone and nobody should be denied business opportunities on the basis of party affiliations.
The APC in Bayelsa would like to advise the management of AGIP to stay out of politics and work with clients that meet their professional standards, more importantly, oil and gas are on the exclusive list in our constitution, so a state house of Assembly has no jurisdiction to dabble into such matters.
“Perhaps in this realization, we have it on good authority that Dickson is working with Bayelsa state representatives in the National Assembly to summon the management of Agip. Mr President, Sir, companies owned by our members are providing jobs for our people.
“The ungodly attempts by Dickson to stop our members from benefitting from multinational oil companies operating in our land is unacceptable. We reject and condemn it, we implore you to use your good offices to call Dickson to order.”
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