– Wigwe’s death shocking, unbelievable
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has boasted that efforts by some persons to stop his second term in office at the Bayelsa Election Petitions Tribunal would fail.
According to him those plotting to truncate his mandate at the Tribunal having failed at the governorship election would fail again.
The All Progressive Congress and some other political parties are at the Bayelsa Elections Tribunal challenging the declaration of Diri by the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC) as the winner of the November 11 governorship election.
Diri who spoke at the St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Sampou, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area during the one-year memorial service for his late father, Abraham Joseph Michael, said those challenging his declaration as winner have no case.
“An election that you wanted to rig and you were stopped from rigging, and we even accepted some of your fake results from Nembe-Bassambiri, and you are the one going to tribunal.
“You know what he is doing now? You know when people are fake they do fake things. They want to go and bring police results as it happened sometime somewhere. They are bringing a police report. They are subpoenaing the police commissioner to come and testify at the tribunal.
“Is it the police that give the results or INEC? Fake people. We have crossed that bridge a long long time ago and everything they are doing we know and we keep quiet. All we do is to stop them and we will stop them again.”
Diri attributed his election victory to God saying “We have a master strategist who is Master Jesus. We will stop them from rigging at the tribunal again.
“If you want to subpoena anybody, subpoena the Independent National Electoral Commission because they are the ones who prepare the results, the police are there for security.”
Diri, however, vowed to be serious and follow up on all issues at the Election Petitions Tribunal, noting that “I will follow them bumper to bumper”
On the death of the CEO of Access Bank, Dr. Herbert Wigwe , the governor who said he is grappling with the reality of his sudden death described the late Wigwe as a ‘’dear friend and brother who understood what friendship and brotherhood meant.’’
He said Wigwe’s death was a personal loss as their friendship was mutual, cordial and brotherly.
While noting that the consummate banker and businessman carved a niche for touching lives and bringing dreams to reality, he recalled how Wigwe through Access Bank positively impacted youths in Bayelsa by partnering with the government to organise the maiden edition of the state’s sports festival in 2023, noting that his life of philanthropy was exemplary.
He said the throbbing effect of Wigwe’s demise was how it would affect those whose dreams and aspirations were connected to him.