SALGA YOUTH VANGUARD MAKES A CLEAR CONDEMNATION OF THE MISCHIEVOUS, POLITICAL AND HYPOCRITICAL STATEMENT BY ISRAEL SUNNY-GOLI

Thursday 5th February, 2026

The SALGA Youth Vanguard unequivocally condemns the write-up credited to Hon. Israel Sunny-Goli, which sought without facts, or moral standing to malign the person and press briefing of His Excellency Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, following the burial of the late Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State.

Let it be stated without ambiguity: the write-up is a deliberate misrepresentation of facts, driven more by political anxiety and opportunism than by truth or respect for the departed.

Senator Henry Seriake Dickson did not insult Bayelsans, What he condemned rightly and courageously was the shameless desperation of individuals who openly schemed for the Deputy Governor’s office while he was still alive and the political actors who actively fuelled inciting statements against him. These are verifiable facts, not inventions.

It is therefore intellectually dishonest for anyone to pretend to be very concerned today while conveniently forgetting yesterday’s conspiracies. You cannot fight a man in life and then weaponize his death for political sanctimony. That is not honour; it is hypocrisy. The attempt by Hon. Israel Sunny-Goli to frame HSD’s principled stance as “vituperation” only exposes a deeper discomfort with truth. When facts are inconvenient, distortion becomes the last refuge of those seeking relevance.

Claims of political “irrelevance” against Senator Dickson are not only laughable but also insulting to history. HSD’s relevance is not borrowed from current power alignments — it is rooted in legacy, structures, and the many leaders he built and empowered, including some of those now throwing stones from glass houses.

For clarity, political relevance is not measured by how loudly one praises power, but by consistency, courage, and the ability to speak truth even when it offends the powerful.

"Senator Dickson in his press briefing, has charged all politicians to be mindful of people's feelings in their public utterances. He described the disrespect, abuses, blackmails and evil plots of some politicians to pull others down as no right measure of political growth in Bayelsa, insinuating those portraying the said character tendencies as animalistic."

The SALGA Youth Vanguard rejects the false outrage and opportunistic posturing contained in the write-up of Sunny-Goli. We stand firmly with Senator Henry Seriake Dickson’s position as expressed in his press briefing—because it was factual, ethical, and necessary. History does not reward betrayal. Noise does not defeat truth, and character cannot be rewritten by propaganda.

Signed:

*Comr. Timi Eziama* Coordinator, SALGA Youth Vanguard

*Comr. Eke Fidelis Akpotunimibofa* Spokesman, SALGA Youth Vanguard