Former Guber Candidates, Party Chieftains Defect To PDP In Bayelsa

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri has again given assurances that he was interested in partnering all shades of opinions towards the development of the state.
Diri ,represented by his Special Adviser on Political matters,High Chief Collins Cocodia, gave the assurances in Yenagoa while receiving no fewer than fifty-two former governorship candidates and chieftains of other political parties who participated in the 2019 Bayelsa Governorship election.
He said he would continue to extend the olive branch to the opposition in the state so that collectively they would build the state of their dream in line with the vision of the founding fathers.
The governor restated that  he was desirous of building a verile,prosperous Bayelsa,noting that even though there were suits instituted by the opposition against his administration, he would continue to welcome any member of the opposition who was ready to partner his administration for development into the PDP.
In his speech, Special Adviser to the state governor on inter-party relations, Barr.Jackson Suokiri, said the reception for the defectors was  necessitated by Governor Douye Diri’s willingness to accommodate all parties and shades of opinions in building the state under his leadership.
Suokiri noted that the defectors were drawn from deregistered political parties and former governorship candidates, saying that they were given the olive branch to join the PDP after showing enthusiasm and readiness to partner the prosperity government of Governor Diri in transforming the state.
He reiterated government’s desire to continue reaching other party stalwarts who had shown interest to cross over to the Peoples Democratic Party, just as he said Bayelsa was synanimous with the PDP.
Speaking on behalf of the defecting party stalwarts, the former chairman of United Nigeria Democratic Party, UNDP, Henry Igwe, said the defection of party stalwarts was over due, noting that immediately after the 2019 election many of them had partnered Governor Diri and the PDP to reclaim their mandate.
He thanked the governor for the olive branch, pleading that they should be carried along in the scheme of things in the prosperity administration.

By:  Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa