Former governor of Bayelsa State and serving senator, Seriake Dickson, has commended the late President Muhammadu Buhari for demonstrating political maturity by respecting opposition voices and refraining from using the judiciary as a political weapon during his administration.
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Buhari died at a London hospital in the United Kingdom at the age of 82 on Sunday, July 13, 2025, after a protracted illness.
On Wednesday, the National Assembly held separate but emotionally charged sessions in his honour, during which lawmakers paid glowing tributes to the late president.
The lawmakers called on President Bola Tinubu to immortalise him by naming a national monument after him.
Reflecting on his shared moments with the late military head of state in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, Dickson noted that the former president deserved credit for his restraint, especially during moments of heightened political tension.
“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,” Dickson wrote.
“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.”
He stressed that even in 2020 when his tenure was up and his successor’s election was approaching, the late President allowed fairness to decide the game.
“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,” the ex-Bayelsa governor said.
Dickson recalled that after the courts ruled in favour of Governor Douye Diri, Buhari made light of the situation in a joking manner.
“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,” 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.
Dickson, who said though he once criticised the ex-President and even led protests against his government, however, praised Buhari 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,” Dickson stated.
He also credited the former president with giving clear instructions to security agencies and INEC to ensure fairness during the highly contentious 2015 governorship election in Bayelsa.
The Senator extended his condolences to the Buhari family, the Government and people of Katsina State, the Daura Emirate, and President Bola Tinubu.
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