Douye Diri, MHR |
As political heavyweights warm up for the December 5, 2015 governorship election In Bayelsa State, Hon Douye Diri, a member of the House of Representative maintains that contrary to insinuations the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP will return to Bayelsa Government House with a landslide, even as he described defectors from the Bayelsa chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressive Congress, APC as buccaneers.
Hon Diri repesenting Yenagoa/ Kolokuma/ Opokuma Federal Constituency, equally laughed off suggestions that Chief Timi Alaibe, an APC governorship aspirant poses any threat to the incubent, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson in the election. "Alaibe comes from Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, LGA and we are talking about 35,000 here, how do you compare that with Yenagoa and Southern Ijaw LGAs each with over 100,000 votes?
"Democracy is about numbers and numerical strength. It is about negotiation with other parts of the State. When you have a low number, you lobby others that have the strength for support and majority vote. You don't show your anger by jumping into an arena where you know you will be defeated.You can not make yourself a governor but others will make you a governor. It is not true that perceived political exclusion will make you become angry and rush into the governorship race. "
Drawing from that premise, the lawmaker a waved away claims that the Bayelsa PDP is jittery over the gale of defection from the Party. He described the defectors as mere political appointtees who were became bitter that it is no longer business as usual in the State.
"Why didn't we have a flyover in the Six years administration of Timipre Sylva? Why didn't we have roads expanded in Bayelsa? Then,they were collecting more money from Federal Allocation. And because it is no more sharing of Bayelsa wealth and because it is difficult for them to change. Almost all of them that left are now Governorship aspirants. All they are saying are for those who don't know them. But for us who know them well, they are greedy, they are vbucannerrs. Now that the people of the State are benefiting from robust fiscal,economic and infrastructural development policies,they are angry"
Diri equally described as "misplaced" and "show of ignorance" criticisms alleging Ijaw ethnic coloration to the forthcoming Governorship election.
He argued that while ethnic bias and coloration can not be wished away from political struggles, the declarations that Bayelsa PDP is predominantly an Ijaw Party was due to the benefits the PDP has accorded the Ijaw people with the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as President and the political history from the union of the PDP and the defunct National Solidarity Movement (NSM) led by late First Executive Governor of Old Rivers State, Melford Okilo.
He affirmed that the destiny of the PDP and Bayelsa State were interwoven years ago and has provided a veritable platform and rewards for the political advancement of the State,"I disagree that the PDP is being described as a regional Party. We have governors in the North and the South-West region.But the PDP is stronger in the South-South and the South-East. It is a National Party. No matter what they say,they can not remove ethnic coloration from Nigerian politics. Why were the people from the North criticizing Former President Goodluck Jonathan? It is all ethnic bias against the Minority Ijaws." he declared.
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