The special adviser to the president on ICT and Digital Innovation, Tokoni Peter Igoin, has begged a former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Igoin visited Eradiri, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), at his country home in Azikoro Village, Yenagoa, on Wednesday, following his recent withdrawal from the Labour Party (LP).
Eradiri who had earlier announced his withdrawal from LP, said that he was seeking for a political platform capable of enabling him to serve the people and advance Bayelsa’s development.
Highlighting the vision of the president in ICT, Igoin said President Tinubu’s bold reforms were yielding positive results and would gradually ease all the pains in the economy, adding that the president had shown capacity to turnaround the fortunes of the country.
He said President Tinubu placed high premium on youth development and was fond of working with smart, intelligent people with capacity like Eradiri and appealed to the former gubernatorial candidate to work with him to support President Tinubu who meant well for the country.
“I am not asking you to join the APC; I am rather begging you to join our party to support our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because he has shown the capacity to turn the country around. Our President values and empowers youths, and it will be a plus if you join me in the APC to support him,” he said.
Igoin noted that Udengs had demonstrated capacity in various offices he occupied in the past, adding that he made a difference as the secretary-general and president of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), commissioners for Youth and later Environment, and Special Adviser to former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“I saw your withdrawal from the Labour Party. I hope we work together. I work with people. I am coming to pledge that I need people like you. I need you today, tomorrow and all the time. I have a platform where I need people like you. 2027 is coming and questions will be asked. I am begging you to come and join the APC”, he said.
In his response, Eradiri commended President Tinubu for appointing someone from Bayelsa State to hold such position in his government despite the ICT being dominated by the West.
He noted that Tinubu’s appointment of Igoin was a clear demonstration of his known leadership style of identifying and working with talents without ethnic and religious bias.
Eradiri said he had been an admirer of Tinubu’s leadership qualities right from the NADECO days, adding that the president had continued to break the jinx of governance and to surmount all the challenges in Aso Rock villa with his bold reforms.
He, however, observed that if Tinubu were not surrounded by some selfish politicians, his reforms would have speedily tricked down to the grassroots.
“I thank the President for identifying you and appointing you without bias. The problem he has is that people around him don’t share same visions with him. Gradually we are beginning to see the positive impact of his reforms. We will do our best to give you the support.
“You have been given a very rare position. The West dominates the sector and for you to be given such appointment, it means you are doing well in the ICT. They have developed their own. Do your job and bring people with competence that can assist you”, he said.
Eradiri advised governors in the Niger Delta to support presidential aides from the area without party considerations to enable them succeed and help others from the region.
While pledging to work with Igoin achieve the mandate of his office, Eradiri said he was still consulting on his next political platform and would consider his request to join the APC.
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