Be magnanimous in victory, ex-Bayelsa LP gov candidate urges Diri

The former governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, has called on Governor Douye Diri to be magnanimous in victory following the affirmation of his election by the Supreme Court.

Eradiri, a former President of the Ijaw Youths Congress, congratulated the Bayelsa State Governor and urged him to resist the temptation of sidelining his perceived opponents in the distribution of the dividends of democracy in the state.

In a statement on Monday, Eradiri said that with the affirmation by the apex court on the outcome of the Bayelsa governorship election, all litigation had come to an end. He called on all stakeholders to work with the governor to move the state forward.

Eradiri, who contested Diri’s victory up to the Appeal Court and decided against taking his case to the Supreme Court, assured the people of the state that he would engage the governor and his administration only with constructive criticism.

While urging the governor not to witch-hunt political opponents, he tasked him with addressing the issues of state development with all seriousness and formulating policies and programmes that would tackle the problems of the state.

He stated, “All involved in the last election have fought a good fight. All the litigations have now been resolved with the final judgement of the Supreme Court affirming the election of Governor Douye Diri. My team and I congratulate the governor of our state on his victory.

“It is now time for all stakeholders in the state to come together and work with the governor to move the state forward. There should be no room for politics of bitterness, and we also urge the governor to be magnanimous in victory.

“We call on Governor Douye Diri to unite the state and avoid the temptation of sidelining perceived enemies in the governance of the state. The governor must approach the issues of governance with the seriousness they require.

“Bayelsa remains grossly underdeveloped despite our vast resources, and we urge the governor to judiciously utilise the enormous Commonwealth to address Bayelsa’s fundamental developmental challenges.”

He added, “We will continue to engage the governor on his policies and programmes, actions and inactions, and constructively criticise issues related to the development, growth, and progress of Bayelsa State. This is the only state we have, and all of us must contribute our quota to develop it.”