Posted by Senator Douye Diri, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for governor of Bayelsa State, has threatened to remove any traditional ruler who permits election violence in his territory on November 11.
During a visit to Okpoama, in the Brass Local Government Area of the state, on Saturday, he delivered the warning while leading the governorship campaign team for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
If any traditional monarch plots violence during the election, he or she runs the prospect of being deposed by his or her administration, he warned. As a government that values democracy, we would never support anything that threatens the integrity of the voting process.
To quote a recent Supreme Court ruling: “Political parties and their supporters should be allowed to canvass for votes without molestation.”
The head of state thanked the Okpoama monarch, the council of chiefs, and other stakeholders for their warm welcome and royal blessings, and he asked them to keep the peace in the state throughout the election process and beyond.
Relatedly, hundreds of members of the All Progressives Congress, APC’s Seibarugu Political Dynasty defected to the governor.
Former Acting Governor and Speaker of the House of Assembly Chief Werinipre Seibarugu is at the helm of the powerful organisation, which has members spread throughout the state.
During a meeting with Governor Douye Diri at Government House in Yenagoa, the Seibarugu Dynasty’s coordinator, Mr. Ebiye Waripamo, made an official declaration explaining why his group had decided to join the PDP.
Waripamo added that after evaluating Governor Diri’s performance over the past almost four years, they had to work with him to advance Bayelsa. He cited the state’s current level of peace and security, as well as the ongoing developmental projects around the state.
He promised the governor and the PDP that they would be 100 percent behind his re-election bid on November 11, 2023.
State PDP chairman Solomon Agwana extended a warm welcome to the organization and promised its members equal treatment.
In response, Diri thanked Chief Seibarugu for his leadership of the Seibarugu Dynasty and praised him as a man of strong convictions and honor.
He criticized the APC in the state, calling it a dishonest organization that is not interested in the state’s progress because its candidate, a former governor, has accomplished nothing of substance during his tenure.