Despite Our Close Friendship, My Political Destiny Isn’t Tied To Jonathan, Says Ally Who Defected To APC

Diekivie-IkioghaA close ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, has revealed that his political destiny is not tied to the former Nigerian leader.
Ikiogha, well-known as a long standing ally of Jonathan, formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State about a fortnight ago.
The former PDP chieftain, who was a former Bayelsa State Chief of Staff, was believed to be one of the brains behind the emergence of Seriake Dickson as governor in 2012.
But following a frosty relationship between him and Dickson, which resulted in his removal as Chief of Staff, Government House, Yenagoa and subsequent redeployment to head the state liaison office in Abuja, Ikiogha resigned.
The ex-Chief of Staff, in an interview at the weekend, said notwithstanding his longstanding friendship with Jonathan, he had decided to join the APC train to chart a new political course for himself.
When asked why he left the PDP for another party when the former president was still in the party, Ikiogha said, “Maybe people are getting it wrong or they are looking at it from a different point of view. Well, I do not have anything with former President Jonathan.
“Our relationship (Jonathan and I) remains very cordial and I feel that my political destiny is not tied to anybody. It is not tied to friendship, it is not tied to even my wife or my mother or my father. You see, yes, here is a man that we started together, we have been able to raise him to the level of the President and he has finished what he needed to do and has come back home. Must I not chart my political course?
“I need to chart a course to do the right thing to do. If because of him, I was in the PDP and because of him I could not move because he was the President and I needed to give him the support as a friend until he is no longer there, must I continue to be blind to say even if he is no longer there I should remain?
“The point is that I have seen a better association, a place that I feel that I can belong to exercise my political opinions and make my suggestions for the betterment of the country. I feel that the platform of APC is better for me and if I have not been able to take that decision years ago because of him, now that he is no longer there, what stops me? Nothing, because I cannot continue to tie my destiny to Jonathan. My political destiny is different from every other person”.
Ikiogha further said that he left the PDP because the party was full of deceits and betrayals as well as lack of internal democracy.
On the forthcoming governorship election in the state, the APC leader, who is one of the leading aspirants, said the APC would trounce the PDP, irrespective of whether the PDP fields Dickson.
He stated, “Well, my prayer is that there should be free and fair elections, campaign and everything, but I know that even though PDP has been on the ground for 16 years, APC is sure to win the governorship election. How we would go about it, I may not be able to tell you but all what I know is that APC will capture the day.
“But it also depend on who the APC is presenting. The PDP depends also on who they present. But I am sure that if APC presents a good candidate, it will win by a landslide whether the PDP presents incumbent Governor, Seriake Dickson”.