Buhari never intimidated, discriminated against opposition — Sen. Dickson
Seriake Dickson, the senator representing Bayelsa West, has commended some of the legacies of late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the former president never intimidated nor discriminated against opposition governors for opposing his policies.
Mr Dickson a former governor of Bayelsa also said Mr Buhari never interfered or used the judiciary as a political weapon during his administration.
Mr Dickson, who disclosed on his X handle on Saturday, said the former president deserved credit for his restraint, especially during the electoral dispute in the state.
“Buhari didn’t discriminate between APC and PDP states; he did it for all. I spoke of how, in the 2015 general election, which, to my knowledge, remains the toughest governorship election in this country.”
He further stated that, “Buhari directed all security agencies and INEC to be fair. It was reassuring. He told me when he gave that directive, even though they didn’t comply on the ground, it was reassuring that the President understood the need for fairness and respect for the rights of the people.
“In 2020, when my tenure was up and my successor’s election was imminent, President Buhari also called for fairness.
“Even when the elections were leaked and results were written and announced, with his advanced team already in Bayelsa less than 24 hours to handing over, President Buhari never called the judiciary of Nigeria to influence their decision. He allowed the law to take its course.
“Later, when he saw Governor Diri, he merely cracked a joke that myself and the governor had better control of the judiciary, and then, he laughed,” Mr Dickson said.
The lawmaker noted that although he strongly disagreed with many of Buhari’s policies, the former president never targeted him or other opposition figures with hostility.
“I myself disagreed with Buhari’s politics and policies. I mobilised all South-South governors and led them to oppose the injustice meted out to Justice Onnoghen when he was sacked in the way and manner it was done. President Buhari never fought me for that or for the other governors’ involvement,” he said.
He said although he once criticised the ex-president and even led protests against his government, Mr Dickson praised him for his non-partisan approach to economic interventions, particularly the financial bailout initiated in 2015 to help states weather a crippling recession.
“Buhari did not discriminate between APC and PDP states. He did it for all. His government, working with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, devised various ways of generating bailouts that helped all the states in Nigeria. Without that intervention, most states would have gone under,” the former governor added.
