Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri on Tuesday in his own Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government told the people of the state to be grateful to his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson for supporting him and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpoto be at the helm of affairs in the state, without which they would not have enjoyed the development projects and programmes they have so far seen.
Diri was in his local government in continuation of his thank you tour of the eight local governments, following his second term electoral victory. He said as mush as he was glad that people were satisfied with his performance as governor, if Dickson did not support him to get into the office, the dividends of democracy being enjoyed would have been impossible to achieve.
“For us, consistency in loyalty and supporting somebody is the benefit we are reaping today. In Kolokuma/Opokuma, we hold former Governor Seriake Dickson in very high esteem. I keep saying that power comes from God. So, he planted my deputy and I in his heart for us to succeed him.”
Diri’s response came after his kinsmen had spoken glowingly of his governance style since he got into office. They passed a vote of confidence on him and praised him for not disappointing them, Diri’s tenure had positively impacted the eight local government areas of the state.
Chairman of the local government, Tariye Leilei, Leilei while welcoming the governor and entourage said the people were excited that their son was changing the developmental narrative of the state and thanked other local government areas for overwhelmingly supporting Diri’s re-election in the November 2023 poll.
The member representing Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency 1 in the House of Assembly, Werinipre Pamo, and his Constituency 2 counterpart, Dr. Wisdom Fafi, said the mammoth crowd at the event was confirmation of the people’s love for the governor, who they described as a proud son of Kolokuma/Opokuma.
Also, the member representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Oforji Oboku, said Governor Diri leads by example and that his followers like him were proud of his developmental footprints.
Oforji noted that as the governor’s representative, the bar of performance set by the Bayelsa leader was high and a motivation to him. He said some of his constituency projects were in line with that of the governor’s, particularly in the power sector where he had provided transformers for some communities in preparation for the government’s independent power plant expected to be functional by end of this year.
Also speaking, the senator representing Bayelsa Central, Dr. Konbowei Benson, hailed the governor’s political sagacity in the face of opposition during last governorship election. He said the governor had changed the political dynamics in the state by practicing inclusive governance, a trait he noted was hard to find.
