Follow Us on Google
Governor of Bayelsa State Douye Diri has pleaded with aggrieved members of the party in court over the outcomes of the party primaries to sheath their swords in the interest of the party.
There are litigations over the Bayelsa Central senatorial ticket, Nembe/Brass Federal Constituency ticket and Ogbia Federal Constituency ticket.
Diri, who stated this at the Bayelsa Central campaign flag-off held at the Peace Park, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital implored the aggrieved members to use internal mechanisms in the party to resolve disputes.
According to him, they need to sink their differences and unite the party to make it formidable ahead of the elections.
“I represented the Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency for four years before my successor, Prof. Steve Azaiki, took over. Now, there is a peaceful transition from Azaiki to Oforji Oboku.
“Our party’s constitution is very clear on such issues – use internal mechanisms to resolve every dispute. We are the same family and l urge you to jettison litigation and come back to the PDP fold.”
Speaking on electoral violence, Diri warned that henceforth the state government will dethrone any monarch or de-recognise youth associations in any community where election violence is perpetrated.
While admonishing monarchs on the neutrality expected of them in political activities, he added that politics should be about exercising one’s franchise through the ballot and not about violence and death.
His words: “They said they will use guns again. Can they use guns to chase you out again?
“Any traditional ruler in whose domain politicians use guns to chase away members of any political party will be deposed. After now, l will take the action through my deputy governor, who is in charge of chieftaincy affairs.
“Youth associations of such areas will also be de-recognised. I mean every word of this warning. Traditional rulers should remain apolitical and our youths have to be disciplined. Politics does not mean killing your brother but to use your voter’s card,” he said.
Diri described party agents as the livewire of the party and advised them to be vigilant during the elections, stressing that the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would go a long way in checking electoral malpractices.
The state chairman of the PDP, Mr Solomon Agwana, implored party faithful and supporters to work hard to deliver all its candidates at the elections.
He noted that Bayelsa is a stronghold of the PDP and that under the leadership of Senator Diri, it has worked relentlessly to provide good governance thus giving hope to Bayelsans.
Also speaking, the Director-General, Bayelsa Central PDP Senatorial Campaign Council, Tonye Isenah, said the era of winning elections through electoral violence was over and urged all to take the campaigns to the nook and cranny of the state.
According to him, the Diri administration has made the campaigns easy as it has recorded achievements in infrastructure development and other sectors of the economy.
