Diri rebuffs machination to surrender Bayelsa
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By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Sam Oyadongha, & Dan Abia
Senator Douye Diri, the governor of Bayelsa State, has resisted an alleged scheme to lure him to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by President Bola Tinubu and his proxies, according to reports.
Read Also: Benue, Plateau Leaders to Tinubu: Your marching orders not effective
Some political watchers earlier predicted that Senator Diri would consent, as Governor Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State) and Governor Umo Eno (Akwa-Ibom State) did in April and June, but he has reportedly shocked his critics.
There have been rumors of alleged plans by the APC to woo Diri and take over the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled state.
The plans, as reported, involved various political maneuvers aimed at gaining an advantage in the state, compromising electoral umpires and security agencies to intimidate perceived opponents, and creating an internal crisis in the PDP.
The latter strategy is already being played out by some members of the PDP, who, an insider revealed, were fuming that they were abandoned after sticking out their neck for the party in the last general and off-cycle governorship elections.
”They plan to weaken the PDP by forming a faction as a booby trap for the party during the 2027 general election and the governorship polls in the state. They intend to use it against the PDP in court.
”The plot to instigate trouble in the Bayelsa PDP has practically boomeranged, as the APC in the state is the one infested with crisis,” a dependable source said.
However, Governor Diri’s administration has been proactive in addressing the challenges.
The governor, who enjoys the backing of the people, has reminded Bayelsans that he was a former Ijaw activist and had firsthand knowledge of the injustice and long neglect in Ijaw land.
He pointed out that as a governor, he was in a better position to frontally address some of the age-long development challenges of his people.
“Many do not know that I was an Ijaw activist, and so I came from a background of deprivation. The Ijaws are people who have been deprived over the years, and here I am, having the opportunity to address some of these issues.
”I do not need anybody to tell me what to do because I was already aware of the level of deprivation in Ijaw land. I need to prove to our people that our government is taking the right steps in tackling the challenges. It’s not enough to shout and criticize,” he said.
Lokpobiri and Sylva factions in a power tussle
While Diri walks confidently lately, the APC in the state is embroiled in an internal crisis and has yet to present a cohesive and formidable front as a party determined to take power.
The party is polarized, with one faction loyal to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the other to the former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva.
Sylva, a former governor of the state under the PDP before defecting to the APC, has continued to lay claim to the party’s leadership. The faction loyal to Lokpobiri sees him as the leader. They cite his position as a member of the federal executive cabinet.
Wike is not leaving any stone unturned
Barrister Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is ready to fulfill his boast of delivering Rivers State to President Tinubu in 2027.
The minister had previously sworn that he would lead the campaign train of the president in the state, despite the consequences of anti-party activity against his political party, the PDP.
Wike’s determination to deliver the state to President Tinubu largely culminated in the political crisis between him and Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The president declared an emergency rule in the state on March 18
Sources hinted that the fear of hijacking Rivers State by some influential PDP members led by the former national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, and former transportation minister, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, among others, was part of the reason Fubara was suspended.
Vice Admiral Ibok Ette Ibas (retired), the sole administrator of Rivers State, had since scheduled the local government election for August 30 with all Wike’s foot soldiers “selectively” nominated to contest in all 23 local government areas of the state.
No more than eight slots were allocated to the PDP during the much-maligned primaries two weeks ago; the remaining seats went to the APC, and Wike’s supporters are expected to run on both parties. If Wike maintains his hold on power, Rivers State’s 2027 presidential election could be easily won by President Tinubu.
Reports state that Fubara agreed not to sponsor a councillor to run in the August 30 council election as part of a peace deal mediated by the Presidency.
However, according to an unverified report, Fubara was given three spots to field the candidates of his choice during the primaries, but he flatly refused.
Wike strongly supported Tinubu in the 2023 general elections due to his unresolved differences with Atiku Abubakar, the then PDP presidential candidate.
Amaechi poised to stop Tinubu and Wike
Since the former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi, and other leaders have launched a serious campaign to discredit Tinubu and the APC in the state and the South-South, many are curious to see how Wike’s plan will play out in 2027.
Amaechi, the leader of the ADC in the South-South region, urged his supporters to register with the party and vote out the Tinubu government, claiming it had caused unbearable suffering to Nigerians in July.
There is fear that the FCT minister’s purported appropriation of the PDP and APC platforms may trigger defections to the ADC in the upcoming months.
Again, the August 30 scheduled council election is alleged to have been challenged in court by some individuals who argue that it did not comply with the constitutional requirement of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission’s (RSIEC) standard 90-day notice.
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