Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has dismissed speculations of a political rift with his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stating that he has no intention of compelling him to defect to the All Progressives Congress,APC.
He emphasized that political alignment should be a matter of conviction, not coercion.
Diri made the statement during the weekly State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday at the Government House, Yenagoa, where his deputy was also in attendance.
The governor formally joined the APC on November 3, after resigning from the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, on October 15. His defection, however, stirred rumours of tension within the state government as Ewhrudjakpo chose to remain in the PDP.
Following the development, the deputy governor approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the Bayelsa State House of Assembly—whose majority members also defected to the APC—from impeaching him for his refusal to switch parties.
Diri, during the meeting, stated that he prefers engagement over confrontation and would continue to hold discussions with his deputy in the interest of peace and unity.
“As a matter of principle, I believe in engagement rather than confrontation. It is indeed difficult for a governor and his deputy to be in different political parties, but we will continue to talk and, hopefully, end up in the same party tomorrow,” he said.
The governor disclosed that the impeachment case filed by Ewhrudjakpo had been discontinued following their discussions, describing it as a step in the right direction toward mutual understanding.
He urged Bayelsans to see politics as a tool for development rather than division and expressed gratitude to citizens for their support during the recent state thanksgiving service and his defection rally.
READ ALSO: Diri says defection serves Bayelsa’s long-term interest
“I appreciate President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for their leadership. I pledge our loyalty to work for a better Nigeria and improve the standard of living of our people. We must not heat up the polity. Politics should be for the development of our state and not for fighting one another,” Diri said.
On the viral reports alleging the arrival of armed men in the state, the governor dismissed them as fake news, assuring residents that Bayelsa remains one of the most peaceful states in the country. He added that security agencies had been alerted to monitor any potential threat.
Diri urged residents to go about their lawful businesses and to report security concerns to appropriate authorities instead of spreading unverified information on social media.
During the meeting, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, presented the state’s award as the Best in Health Insurance Service Delivery by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, while the Commissioner for Sports, Dr. Daniel Igali, presented a Distinguished Governor Award for Outstanding Support to SWAN and Contribution to Sports Development in Nigeria from the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria.
NAN
