Governor of Bayelsa State and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the November 11, 2023 off-cycle governorship election in Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, on Friday stormed his native Local Government Area,  Kolokuma/Opokuma for his re-electioneering campaigns.
Speaking at Igbedi Community, home town of his wife and First Lady of the State, Dr. Gloria Diri, the Governor promised to construct a linking road from Kaiama Town, the Headquarters of the Local Government Area, to the community.
He said though he had earlier constructed a link road from the Amassoma and Ogobiri axis of the Bayelsa State International Airport to the community, he would also construct another link road directly from Kaiama  to properly link the community with sister  communities within the Local Government Area, along the East-West Road axis of the state, amongst other infrastructural projects.
The Tide, which monitored the campaigns, reports that the Governor also took his campaigns to Okoloba, Opokuma and Sabagreia (Seibokoragha) communities, all in the Constituency two of the Kolokuma/Opokuma area of of the state.

Governor Diri also promised to fast-track the construction of the ongoing Polaku-Sabagreia link road and bridge, saying as a son of the Local Government Area, no other governorship candidate understands the problems and yearnings of his people better than him.

Commenting on the faith of the candidate of the  All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11 governorship election, Chief Timipre Sylva, the Bayelsa Chief Executive said the APC candidate remained disqualified based on the first amended list of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Those whose names have been delisted by amendment number one of INEC can no longer sleep. They will continue to have sleepless nights.

“In our second tenure, the other road that will be important to Bayelsa and even the people of Delta State and for the use of our airport will be to connect Igbedi to Kaiama. That will be the next project we will embark upon in our next tenure”,  Governor Diri said.

He urged the Bayelsa electorate not to waste their votes on a party that is not on the ballot, noting further that he was not in the Local Government Area to campaign, nothing that the projects of his administration in the Communities of the area were evident of his efforts.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the PDP gubernatorial elections campaign council, and member representing Ogbia Federal Constituency of the state, Hon. Mitema Obordor, described Governor Diri as  God sent to the state.

Obordor called on the people of the Local Government Area to work for and protect their own chances of retaining the Governor who he described as their son.

The campaign Director-General noted that the PDP and the Governor were not in the Local Government Area to campaign, but to inform them that it was their duty to protect their own as Governor come November 11th, 2023.

In same vein, wife of the Governor, who is from the Local Government Area, thanked the people of the area for the rousing welcome accorded her husband and the support given him over the years, urging them not to relent.

Earlier, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Environment, Iselema Gbaranbiri,  expressed appreciation to the Governor for the administration’s projects in the Local Government Area, assuring the State’s Chief Executive of total support of the communities of the area in the forthcoming November 11, 2023 election.

The Tide reports that highpoints of the campaign were the inauguration of some projects undertaken by the administration of Governor Diri, and the observation of a minute silence in honour of Mr. Peremobowei Tukuwei, the Director, Media and Publicity, of the APC Governorship Campaign Council who died in a tragic boat mishap recently while the party campaigned in Nembe Local Government Area of the state.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa