Members of the Rivers State National Assembly Caucus have issued a stern rebuke to Senator Henry Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West) for his recent remarks criticizing the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, ten federal lawmakers from Rivers expressed strong objections to Dickson’s statements, which included calls for President Bola Tinubu to reinstate suspended Governor Siminilayi Fubara during his June 12 Democracy Day address.
“Rivers State is not under military rule,” the caucus stated emphatically. “The current Administrator of the state, Vice Admiral (Rtd.) Ibok-Ete Ibas, is a retired military officer—just as Senator Dickson is a retired police corporal. Neither can be described as a serving military personnel.”
The lawmakers accused Dickson of making “misleading and intellectually dishonest” comparisons by characterizing the situation as military rule. They defended the emergency declaration as a constitutional necessity under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, citing the Supreme Court’s February 28, 2025 judgment that found “there was no government in Rivers State” due to escalating political instability and disregard for democratic institutions.
“The bold step averted a full-blown crisis. Without that timely intervention, orchestrated chaos would have crippled governance and civil life,” the lawmakers’ statement read. They noted that even Governor Fubara had publicly appreciated President Tinubu’s intervention, adding pointedly: “Senator Dickson cannot be crying more than the bereaved.”
The caucus further accused Dickson of exacerbating ethnic tensions through his visits to the suspended governor and held him partially responsible for Fubara’s political troubles. “It is extremely unfortunate that a former governor, a serving senator, and a retired police corporal—who by training should uphold law and order—would make comments capable of inciting unrest,” they stated.
In a scathing personal attack, the lawmakers referenced Dickson’s alleged misconduct as Bayelsa governor, claiming he once “disrupted court proceedings by leading armed men to a Federal High Court.” They concluded: “With his antecedents, Senator Dickson is not qualified, grossly incompetent, and unfit to claim to protect democracy.”
The statement, signed by all ten Rivers federal lawmakers including Sen. Barry Mpigi and Hon. Kingsley Chinda, called for security agencies to monitor Dickson’s activities and urged the Senate Committee on Ethics to investigate his “unparliamentary actions” regarding the Rivers crisis.
