Bayelsa Doesn’t Deserve Serial Deceiver As Governor, Says Diri

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has said what the state needs is an honest and sincere leader who is focused on its development and not a man widely known for deception.

Governor Diri, who took swipes at Timipre Sylva, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate who was on Monday disqualified from the race by an Abuja Federal High Court
described the former governor as a serial deceiver who does not deserve the votes of the Bayelsa people.

Speaking at the campaign rallies of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Yiba-Ama (Oruma), Otuasega, Emeyal, Kolo Town and Elebele communities in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state, Diri noted that as governor for five years and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources for almost four years, Sylva did not make any meaningful impact in the state but rather deceived the people with phantom projects.

Listing Sylva’s ‘sins’ against the people of the state, the governor said as Minister, no Bayelsan was allotted an oil block, but instead, Sylva ensured that the licence of the state’s Atala oilfield was revoked.

According to Diri, the former governor’s other shortcomings were his deception that he was constructing an airport at Zarama, the failed Brass fertiliser, as the COVID-19 hospital projects.

“Timipre Sylva is a man you cannot trust. He displaced all those he promised that he would give the governorship ticket and turned around to become the candidate himself.

“A man who said a road from Yenagoa to Nembe was not economically viable. A man who proposed an airport, but the site was turned into a ‘seaport’ after sinking millions of naira of the state’s resources.

“When the immediate past governor built a very good airport, Sylva said it was a seaport, but today he uses the same airport.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, he deceived me as governor. He said let us go and inaugurate a COVID-19 hospital at Igbogene. In my innocence, I followed him. We did the foundation-laying ceremony, and that was the end of the project.

“A man who said he was building the Oloibiri oil museum but after deceiving the whole country with a groundbreaking ceremony, the site was abandoned and it is now overtaken by weeds.

“A man who gave out oil block licences to others without giving any to a Bayelsan. The only one we have the Atala oilfield, he revoked the licence.

“A man who has serially deceived the Bayelsa people. That is why everyone who speaks says this is a fight between light and darkness. There is darkness over them.

“We have tried him, we have tested him, and he has failed. We have had many governors in this state but only one governor has been stoned, That is Timipre Sylva. Bayelsans have rejected him and he will remain rejected.”

Diri, who described himself as a disciple of the late sage, Senator Melford Okilo, who hails from Ogbia, said his administration had transformed rural communities with several developmental initiatives.

The governor said that he had fulfilled most of his 2019 campaign promises and that he deserved re-election to enable him to continue with what he had started.

Meanwhile, Governor Diri and his campaign team received a rousing welcome across Ogbia land.

Large crowd, which included traditional rulers, chiefs and party supporters, received the governor and his entourage in all the communities visited.

Diri, accompanied by his wife, Dr. Gloria, and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, appreciated the people’s support.

Speaking at the Kolo rally, the caretaker committee chairman of Ogbia council, Mizodome Ibu, thanked the governor for the projects in the area and promised to ensure that the PDP records massive votes in the area.

Others who spoke were the Senator representing Bayelsa East, Chief Benson Agadaga, a former House of Reps member for the Ogbia Federal Constituency, Fred Obua, a member representing Ogbia Constituency 3 in the House of Assembly, Michael Ogbara, former Assembly member Naomi Ogoli, the PDP zonal legal adviser, George Turnah among others.

The high point of the campaign was the decoration of Diri and his deputy by the paramount ruler of the Elebele community, His Royal Highness David Osene Osene and his council of chiefs with the chieftaincy titles of Ogimamema 1 and Ogimamama 2, respectively.

Also, scores of defectors from the APC equally joined the PDP at the rallies.