Edith CHUKU
Ahead of the forthcoming November 11, governorship election in Bayelsa State, the governor, Senator Douye Diri, has urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, to be steadfast and committed towards ensuring victory for the party.
The governor also charged his appointees and the PDP members to stand firm in defense of democracy during the governorship election in the state.
According to his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, Diri gave these charges at a meeting of 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 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.
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Diri expressed the 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.
The Bayelsa helmsman, 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.
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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.
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“Beware of commodity buyers during election. Let us not turn ourselves to commodities. Let us be good party men.”
Speaking on his major challenger from the All Progressives Congress APC, Chief Timipre Sylva, Diri said he failed as a former governor of the state and as a minister.
He also alleged that Sylva as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources connived with others to take away Bayelsa’s only oil asset, the Atala oil field.
Diri enjoined those he described as lovers of the state to reject the APC candidate to ensure continuity of the developmental projects of his administration.
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He restated his call on the Federal Government to work with him to find a lasting solution to the Bassambiri community crisis, he said was being ochestrated by some members of the opposition party in the state.
Earlier, the party’s working committee passed a vote of confidence in Governor Diri following what they described as his outstanding performance.
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The motion was moved by the senator representing Bayelsa Central, Senator Konbowei Benson, and seconded by the House of Representatives member for the Ogbia Federal Constituency, Mitema Obordor.
The committee also ratified the nomination of Oyisor Didi as the party’s new youth leader.
In his remarks, the chairman, Mr. Solomon Agwana, charged the party’s faithful to ensure that PDP wins in all the 2,244 polling units in the state in the governorship election.
Also, the governor’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs, High Chief Collins Cocodia, said, “given his remarkable performance in office, Senator Diri has earned the trust and confidence of the people, victory was assured.”
In his goodwill message, the PDP National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyengikuro, noted that, “Governor Diri is a great leader that the party at the national level holds in high esteem.”
