Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri yesterday said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State is gradually returning to the era where whoever wins the party’s primary election is as good as having won the main election.
He stated this while receiving a former alternate director of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Gubernatorial Campaign Council, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, and a former chairman of the Kolokuma/Opokuma local government Area, Dr. Ebikitin Diongoli, who led their supporters back to PDP.
Diri described their return as the right thing to do given their long-standing affiliation with the party before they left.
He also described their return and reception by the government and the party as a divine arrangement, describing the returnees as people with immense electoral value.
He expressed optimism that they will contribute positively to the development of the party and the state.
He also called on those remaining in the opposition to retrace their steps, saying the PDP made virtually all politicians in the state and was still large enough to accommodate those desirous of coming back.
Speaking on the abandoned Sabagreia/Polaku bridge project in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA, the governor said contrary to speculations that the government was not interested in its completion, it was actually in talks with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which is the agency handling the project.
He explained that the government was ready to support the completion of the project but can only do so with the consent of the interventionist agency, assuring that a decision will be reached soon and the bridge, which he described as crucial to the Kolokuma/Opokuma people, will see the light of day.
His words: “On behalf of your government and party, I join the Deputy Chairman of our party to welcome you back to where you rightly belong. I thank you for making up your mind. It would have been a mistake if you did not return.
“Let me also thank all those that facilitated this. I kept receiving the reports and prayed that God makes it happen. This is indeed a divine arrangement.
“We welcome you back and on behalf of your party, all your rights are restored. Very soon we will receive you and all your followers.We want to go back to the old PDP where you win the party’s ticket and it feels like you have already won the election. We call on all those that left and are in the opposition to come back.”
