The Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff, has quit the post following his decision to return to law practice. Members of the state executive council were shocked when Governor Seriake Dickson announced the SSG’s decision on Wednesday.

The cabinet members gathered for the 79th state executive committee meeting when Dickson, in an emotion-filled voice, told them that the SSG, after a mutual agreement, had resigned his appointment. The cabinet members, who were surprised at the SSG’s exit, held a special valedictory session for him.

The governor said it was difficult for him to let go the SSG because of their ties, adding that he “conscripted” Dokubo-Spiff, a legal luminary, into politics. Dickson said the former SSG rose from the office of the Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic People (PDP) to become the substantive chairman of the party in Bayelsa and later led the party to a resounding victory in the state governorship election held in 2015.

The Nation