SENATOR Seriake Dickson, representing Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, has clarified why he withdrew from the Senate Committee on Local Content’s investigation into former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over an alleged $14.8 million diversion belonging to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
News Point Nigeria reports that in a detailed statement posted on his official Meta page on Saturday, the former governor said he recused himself on grounds that the probe was “selective” and lacked the broad-spectrum inquiry necessary to ensure fairness, transparency, and credibility.
Sylva was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on November 10 over alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.8 million linked to the NCDMB. The Senate Committee subsequently convened an investigative hearing, which Dickson initially believed would be a routine interface with the Board’s executive management.
However, according to Dickson, the moment he realized the meeting was purposefully convened to investigate only the allegations against Sylva his predecessor as governor, he objected.
Dickson said he insisted that any probe of NCDMB finances should cover the entire management of the fund from inception, not a single transaction involving one individual.
“I raised objections. Firstly, on the ground that there should be no selective inquiry,” he explained. “If at all, the entirety of the management of the fund should be investigated and not just one transaction.”
He argued that since the EFCC had already made considerable progress in its investigation, it was unnecessary for the Senate to duplicate efforts on a single issue when a broader, more holistic probe would better serve public interest.
Dickson said he stepped aside to avoid any perception of bias because Sylva is a former governor of Bayelsa State and his longstanding political rival since 2011.
He stressed that although he and Sylva have been on opposing sides of Bayelsa’s political divide for more than a decade, he has a personal policy of not participating in actions aimed at pulling down political adversaries.
“I am not like the typical politicians in Nigeria who celebrate the downfall of opponents,” he said. “My politics has always been based on service to God and man. I build, I raise, I develop; I don’t destroy.”
Dickson added that his political battles are limited to elections and legal processes not what he described as “after-election vendettas”. He noted that even though rivals have repeatedly tried to undermine him using “federal might, blackmail, propaganda or incitement,” they have never succeeded.
The senator said his decision aligns with a long-standing principle he teaches his supporters: that Bayelsans are “few” and must not tear each other down.
“As a former governor, I feel a lifelong responsibility to support and encourage all persons from my state and the Niger Delta, regardless of party,” he wrote.
Dickson disclosed that his committee colleagues understood his concerns and accepted his withdrawal from the proceedings.
Reacting to the allegations and the EFCC’s action, Julius Bokoru, Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to Sylva, described the corruption probe as a “coordinated political onslaught” aimed at damaging the former minister’s reputation.
The Senate Committee on Local Content is expected to continue its investigative hearings despite Dickson’s exit.