Disquiet in Ogbia as PDP stakeholders reject Diri’s choice of council chairman

Some stakeholders and leaders of Ogbia Local Government Area has kicked against the choice of one Endurance Jeremiah to fly the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the rescheduled local council election in Bayelsa State.

They described Jeremiah who was alleged to have been imposed on Governor Douye Diri by former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, as a stranger to Ogbia politics and one who has strong ties with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Rising from a meeting in Yenagoa on Friday, the stakeholders said it is sad that despite repeated public outcry from well meaning and concerned citizens of the area, Governor Diri had gone ahead to allow the former president and his allies to choose for him an “unpopular person with no political capital”.

Speaking after the meeting, Enakitor Dein, one of the leaders, said it is unthinkable that Governor Diri will sacrifice the whole local government for few persons, noting that the desired development of the people will continue to elude them.

He said: “We hear that Governor Douye Diri has allegedly surrendered the position of Chairman, Vice and all the Councilorship positions of the forthcoming Local Government Election to former President Jonathan. Just as he has also done in Sagbama to his predecessor. This is coming, despite the protest from people like us because of what is on ground.

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“The decision is an unfortunate one. We are upset, particularly those of us who worked hard for the governor’s re-election. It is even more annoying to know that the choice of Jonathan’s nominee for the Chairman is someone who does not even play his politics in Ogbia but Nembe.

“He is also a well known APC supporter. I can tell you for free that Ogbia PDP supporters are feeling betrayed and abandoned, especially having fought so hard to deliver Ogbia to Diri in the last governorship election, despite facing a stiff resistance from the MD of NDDC who deployed a massive war chest in his effort to deliver Ogbia to Chief Timipre Sylva.

“We recall that a similar thing happened in the 2019 governorship election when Jonathan, his wife Patience, King A.J Turner and his other kinsmen, including the immediate past commissioner of Science and Tech, all allegedly worked and supported David Lyon against Diri. But in the end, when the Supreme Court returned Diri as winner, instead of rewarding loyal PDP members with appointments who stood firm and voted for the PDP, the governor rather rewarded those who supported APC’s David Lyon”.

Enakitor Dein, stated that the anointed Jeremiah has no PVC in Emadike and has never voted “not to talk of win any elections in any poling unit in Emadike.

He further alleged that a prominent businessman who has never supported or voted for Governor Diri or the PDP was the person who nominated the said Endurance Jeremiah, to his godfather, former President Goodluck Jonathan.

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“Everyone knows that from time immemorial he does vote in Nembe Basambiri. He has never supported and he is not a supporter of Diri/Law 2019 and 2023 Gubernatorial ambitions but rather a strong supporter of David Lyon 2019 and Chief Timipre Sylva 2023 in Basambiri.

“He has never voted not to talk of win his poling units in Emadike community, both 2019 nd 2023 Gubernatorial elections. We challenge him and his godfathers to show us his polling unit result if any. We are tired of this monkey go work and bamboo go chop syndrome. Endurance Jeremiah is a Nembe Basambiri businessman. He has no experience and knows nothing about governance.

“He has no capacity to fight against criminality, cultism, seapirates, kidnapping, etc. He doesn’t know the communities that make up Ogbia LGA. He has no capacity to collaborate with IOC’s to secure youth employments across communities in the LGA. He will never stay and sleep even a day in our LG council headquarters”.

He said it is not too late for Governor Diri to backtrack and go for someone more credible in OKODI and EPEBU communities even if it is ward 5 for the sake of peace, fairness, equity and justice.

He warned that there will be political consequences and a strong promise of a payback in 2027 if the choice of Jeremiah is not reversed, as an eye-for-an-eye is now the new language.