Governor of Bayelsa
State, Senator Douye Diri, has expressed appreciation to the legislature and
judiciary in the state for their support in his first term, which ends on
February 13. Senator Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, will
take a fresh oath of office on February 14. Speaking during the monthly praise
night at the King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa, which was the
last in the first term, the governor said without the support of the other two
arms of government, his administration would not have recorded the modest
achievements in the last four years. In a statement by his Chief Press
Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, he also thanked clerics and the Christian
community, members of his cabinet and people of the state for their unflinching
support, saying he alone could not have achieved the successes so far. Governor
Diri also lauded the security agencies for their role in ensuring the state
remained peaceful and for their professionalism during the November 11
governorship election in the state, which he won. He expressed the optimism
that Bayelsa will achieve greater success in his second term as his desire was
for every nook and cranny of the state to feel the impact of government. The
state’s helmsman again gave the glory to God for his electoral victory, saying
despite threats from the opposition, he prevailed. He said: "As men, we
did all we could but God who sees everything went ahead of us to straighten
crooked paths. We live by His grace. Our prayer is that God would do more for
us than He did in our first term so that every corner of our state will feel
the impact. "As we move toward February 14, I want to appreciate my
cabinet. Our policies were well implemented and that is why we recorded some
success. The love among members of the cabinet is worth commending too. “I
equally appreciate the legislature, which worked hand-in-gloves with me as well
as the judiciary and our security agencies, which have done very well. “We also
appreciate the church as a whole. Your endorsement during the election meant so
much to us and, indeed, God delivered us. Most people who worked with us were
threatened but we prevailed and defeated gangsters.” Earlier, Governor Diri
praised the resilience of the Southern Ijaw people, which resulted in victory
of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 15 out of 17 wards in the local
government area. He gave the commendation when elders, leaders and stakeholders
in the area led by the Southern Ijaw People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus
chairman, Chief Talford Ongolo, paid him a solidarity and congratulatory visit
in Government House, Yenagoa. He expressed satisfaction with their peaceful and
non-violent disposition during the election and thanked them for responding to
his call not to engage in electoral violence. Diri said that Southern Ijaw was
susceptible to political unrest and election rigging but noted that under his
administration the trend had changed not only in the area but also across the
state. “In spite of all the odds in Southern Ijaw, we still came tops. In every
election, even if the margin is just by a simple majority, you have won. And
this time around, the votes that came from Southern Ijaw were authentic and
realistic. “Some think that you need guns to lead people, which is not true.
Somebody who does not have a gun could have all it takes to man oeuvre your gun
and make it useless, like you people did in the last election. “Those who had
guns could not operate and you overcame them. At a point they said they were no
longer contesting against PDP but the military. In actual sense, the military
was there to protect the election process. So, I say a very big thank you to
all of us from Southern Ijaw.” The governor advised the leadership of the
caucus to give room for emerging leaders to prove their capacity in politics
and not blackmail them for selfish interests. He also assured them that all
ongoing projects in the area, especially the Yenagoa-Oporoma road and the
bridge at Angiama community would be completed. Speaking earlier, the caucus
chairman, Chief Talford Ongolo, who was a former Speaker of the old Rivers
State House of Assembly, said the visit was to felicitate with him in the new
year and on his victory at the poll Ongolo commended the governor for his
exemplary leadership style that has endeared him to people of the state even in
strongholds of the opposition
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