The lawmaker representing Bayelsa West, Senator Seriake Dickson, has expressed serious concerns about President Bola Tinubu’s recent Democracy Day speech and the manner in which the Senate handled the event. Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, told reporters that his right to speak was denied during the joint session of the National Assembly held on Thursday.
Senator Dickson said the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, ignored his attempt to raise a constitutional matter shortly after President Tinubu’s address. He claimed Akpabio rushed through the president’s formal letters to the National Assembly without giving room for any intervention.
“That’s not how democracy works. That’s how military regimes operate,” the Senator said, expressing frustration over the way the session was managed.
Dickson explained that he wanted to raise an important issue related to the functioning of the legislature, but Akpabio shut him down without any explanation. He said this action not only violated his rights as a senator but also went against the principles of democratic engagement.
“I was completely disregarded. I had a right to raise a constitutional issue and I was denied that opportunity,” Dickson said.
