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- PDP chieftain denies defection story
From Femi Folaranmi. Yenagoa
Ahead of the November 11 governorship elections, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has challenged his appointees and members of the People’s Democracy Party (PDP) to stand firm in defence of democracy during the elections.
He also called on local and international lovers of democracy to show keen interest in the forthcoming elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states in order to ensure a free, fair and transparent process.
Diri was quoted by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, to have stated this during meetings held with the PDP state working committee at its secretariat in Yenagoa and at another meeting with his appointees at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall in the Government House.
He expressed optimism that with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ensuring transparency and fairness and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) working optimally, votes in the November election would count.
Diri who decried the threats of violence by one of the governorship candidates in the election, urged politicians to play by the rules in order to deepen democracy and not throw the state or country into crisis.
His words: “I call on all lovers of democracy in Nigeria and Africa to put their eyes on the elections in these three states – Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi – so that we can have peaceful, transparent, credible and free elections.
“If we truly love our state, this is the time to stand firm. It is the time to know the difference between those who have character, integrity and those who are like commodities in the market to be purchased.
He took a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva noting that he failed as a former governor of the state and as a minister.
Diri while accusing Sylva of conniving with others as Minister of State to take away Bayelsa’s only oil asset, the Atala oil field enjoined lovers of the state to reject the APC candidate to ensure continuity of the developmental projects of his administration.
The leadership of the PDP also ratified the nomination of Oyisor Didi as the new youth leader to replace Nunieh Odede who defected to the APC.
Meanwhile one of the chieftains of the party from Yenagoa Local Government Area listed among those that defected Olali Suwofien has refuted the claims.
Suwofien who admitted that he was invited to a meeting with Sylva during which he was persuaded to join the APC, he disclosed that he declined the offer because of his personal convictions that “Governor Douye Diri, my principal and leader of my party, PDP has performed excellently as governor of our dear state in the last three and half years to the satisfaction and admiration of Bayelsans well enough to earn him a second term in office.”
