Dickson Explains Why he Voted to Clear Ambassador Oke, Are , Dalhatu Amid Controversy, Accuses APC of One-Sided Anti-Graft Crusade

Senator Seriake Dickson has cleared the air on why he voted to approve Ayodele Oke, Kayode Are, and Aminu Dalhatu as ambassadorial nominees.

Dickson, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, stated that Oke was a victim of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) “misguided vendetta” against opposition leaders.

Speaking during the screening session, Dickson asked Oke to address controversies surrounding his exit from office as Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).

Oke explained his achievements and submitted a court order confirming his acquittal after the withdrawal of the case against him.

Dickson believes the APC politicized serious national issues, including corruption, terrorism, and the economy, and carried out a “one-sided crusade” aimed at criminalizing opposition leaders.

He stressed that national security institutions must be respected and protected, and intelligence chiefs should be shielded from political persecution.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has recommended the clearance of Oke, Are, and Dalhatu for ambassadorial positions, citing their experience and qualifications.

In a post shared on his Facebook page, he wrote, “Earlier this week, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which I am Vice Chairman, sat to screen the President’s earlier ambassadorial nominees — Ayodele Oke, Kayode Are, and Aminu Dalhatu — who all appeared before us.

As I said, as Senators of the Federal Republic serving on this Committee, we owe ourselves, the Senate, and the country a duty to ask relevant questions to clear the air on certain developments, which I did and will continue to do dispassionately in the interest of the country.

I asked Ambassador Oke, pointedly, to clear the air on the controversies leading to his exit from office. In his answers, Ambassador Oke, who is a very experienced public officer and a former Chief of Intelligence, thanked me for my questions and proceeded to explain his achievements. He also explained the issues leading to his departure from office and furnished us with a copy of a court order affirming his acquittal, following the withdrawal of the case against him.

This confirms the view I have long held: that since its formation, the APC has always played politics with serious national issues such as corruption, terrorism, and the economy. They politicised and ethnicised the Boko Haram and terrorism challenges, which have escalated over the years under their watch, even with a President from the North. They played politics with the attempt at reduction of fuel subsidy, but have now turned around to impose a harsher version of total subsidy removal, which has plunged Nigerians into poverty. And they played a one-sided anti-corruption crusade targeting and criminalising opposition leaders.

After listening to Mr. Oke’s explanation, I have no doubt that he was a victim of the APC’s misguided vendetta to criminalise the PDP and its leadership, just as they did to Sambo Dasuki, former NSA. No one is against a well-structured and systematic, apolitical fight against corruption, which is a major national issue, but it must not target selected individuals or the opposition. It must be fought across board, as all are equal before the law.

The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as well as other security and intelligence institutions, must be handled with greater respect and discretion, even when issues of misconduct arise. These are strategic tools in the hands of the President and the nation, and must be jealously protected and guarded, irrespective of political or other considerations, in order not to compromise the security architecture of the country.

Once an assignment, order, or objective is approved by a sitting President acting within his powers, and the order is not unlawful, the intelligence chief must be protected, even if we disagree with that order as politicians.

Following Mr. Oke’s explanation and the withdrawal of the case by the EFCC, which should not have started in the first place, I voted to clear Mr. Oke, and I congratulate him. I also voted at the Committee to clear the two other ambassadorial nominees — Kayode Are and Aminu Dalhatu — who are very experienced and eminently qualified Nigerians. I thank them for their service and their willingness to still serve, and I urge them to do their best for the nation in the countries to which they will be posted. We will be monitoring”.