From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the just-concluded election in Bayelsa State, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, and his running mate, Commodore Benjamin Nathus (retd.), have announced their resignations from the party.
It was gathered that most of the local government chairmen of the party in Bayelsa joined Eradiri and Nathus in dumping the party.
Eradiri, who was recently conferred with a Fellowship by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), sent his resignation letter to the state chairman of the party in Yenagoa.
In the letter dated 8 December and titled “Letter of Withdrawal as Labour Party Member”, Eradiri stated that he took the decision to enable him to pursue his political career on a platform ready and prepared to provide the kind of leadership that Bayelsa deserved.
He expressed appreciation to members of the party who believed in his vision for a better Bayelsa and gave him the opportunity to be their governorship candidate.
“But unfortunately, we couldn’t scale through the intrigues and challenges implanted in the party leadership,” he said.
Eradiri noted that it had been a great experience working together politically and traversing the nooks and crannies of the state in the quest for leadership.
Eradiri, who came third in the governorship poll, stated that his decision was supported by his loyalists.
Similarly, in his letter of withdrawal, Nathus explained that his decision was motivated by the need to seek a platform committed to leadership that would propel Bayelsa towards a brighter and more prosperous future.
He said: “I am profoundly grateful for the support and camaraderie of the party members who have shared in our vision for a thriving Bayelsa and graciously provided me the opportunity to serve as a deputy governorship candidate. The journey has been enriched with invaluable experiences and insights.”
Nathus added that he was honoured to have worked with dedicated colleagues and to have engaged deeply with communities in the pursuit of transformative governance.
Confirming his resignation from the party, Eradiri said he was undergoing serious consultations to decide on the next political platform that would enable him to serve the people effectively.
“We are consulting seriously and engaging all stakeholders to determine the next political party to join. Our next party of interest will be one that will enable us to provide service to the people and move Bayelsa forward,” he said.