A former president of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, has said that one of the reasons that made him throw his weight behind the Bayelsa State governor during the November 11, 2023 election was the governor’s successful fight against cultism in the state.
Jonathan said one of the ways to encourage him to fight more, and to ensure that Bayelsa did not return to the dark days of tension, killing and hooliganism was to stand by Diri and secure victory for him.
Shortly after the election, Jonathan had said that if Diri did not win, he would have relocated his aged mother to Abuja, a comment that did not go down well with Chief Timipre Sylva and the APC, although Jonathan never mentioned their name throughout the speech on that day.
A day after the New Year day when Diri visited him in his Yenagoa home, Jonathan fired another salvo. He said he owed nobody any apologies for standing by Diri.
He said: “I did what l did during the governorship election and l have no apologies to anybody because l know that the governor and his team were doing very well, especially in the area of peace and stability of the state. At a time, l became very worried.
“I have not said others did not do well. After all, l was also governor for a little less than one and a half years and also had my challenges.
“Since Diri came on board, the excesses of cult groups, particularly in Yenagoa, have reduced reasonably. If we must move forward, first and foremost, we must handle the issue of security in order to attract investors. I saw that the governor and his team have a vision and he needed to be encouraged to do another four-year term.”
Jonathan charged the governor to do more to meet the high expectations of the massive support base for his Prosperity Administration, adding that “to whom much was given, much was expected.”
In his response, Senator Douye Diri expressed appreciation to the former president for his support and endorsement, which contributed to the Peoples Democratic Party’s victory at the poll.
According to Diri, “your endorsement of a sitting governor was more than billions of naira. And so having secured that endorsement, we were very sure of victory. We are here to say a big thank you as that has brought stability in the state.
“So, with the kind of peace and security we have in our state, Bayelsa is ready for private investors to come in.” He expressed the optimism that Jonathan would have more roles to play in reconciling people in the country and the African continent to ensure peace and development.
Diri also thanked President Bola Tinubu for ensuring a peaceful, free and credible election in the state.
