Bayelsa State Governor, Diri Douye
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has declared that he will not compel his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, to follow him into the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he joined earlier this month.
Governor Diri, who officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on October 15, cited what he described as “obvious reasons” for his departure. However, his deputy has chosen to remain in the PDP, creating a rare political split within the state’s leadership.
Speaking on Wednesday during the weekly State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Yenagoa, with Ewhrudjakpo in attendance, the governor said he prefers dialogue over confrontation in managing the situation.
Acknowledging the difficulty of leading a government where the governor and deputy belong to different political parties, Diri expressed hope that ongoing consultations would strengthen their working relationship.
The governor also revealed that Ewhrudjakpo had withdrawn a case filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop an alleged impeachment move. He said the legal action was discontinued following their private discussions.
Governor Diri called on Bayelsans to embrace peace and unity, emphasizing that politics should be a vehicle for progress rather than division.
“I express our gratitude to the people of our state for the successful and well attended thanksgiving day service. The spirit of oneness and love is what we should keep exhibiting.
“I like to also thank the people for the mammoth crowd at the sports complex during our defection. I appreciate the leader of our party, President Bola Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shettima. I pledge our loyalty to continue to work for a better Nigeria, for the upliftment of the standard of living of our people.
“Let me address an issue that had been a subject of speculation in the media. I do not intend to force people to join the APC but rather to appeal to them to see reason with me. I might have the power today but not tomorrow.
“It is actually difficult for the governor to be on one side and the deputy on another. But we will continue to talk and we might end up in the same party tomorrow.
“We must not heat up the polity. We are done with violence in Bayelsa State. We are brothers and we are one. Politics should be for the development of the state and not to fight one another.”
On the rumour of the arrival in the state of armed men from a part of the country, Governor Diri dispelled it as fake news.
He however assured that security agencies have been put on notice to check any threat in any part of the state.
He reaffirmed Bayelsa as one of the most secured states in the country and urged the people to go about their activities and report security issues to the relevant agencies rather than rushing to post falsehood on social media.
At the meeting, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, presented to the governor the recognition of Bayelsa as the “Best State in Health Insurance Service Delivery” by the Nigeria Governors Forum while his counterpart in the Ministry of Sports, Dr. Daniel Igali, also presented a “Distinguished Governor Award for Outstanding Support to SWAN and Contribution to Sports Development In Nigeria” from the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria.
