By Jude Opara
Apolitical pressure group, the Concerned Bayelsa Stakeholders Forum (CBSF), has urged Governor Douye Diri to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Convener of the Group, Wisdom Ikuli, made the appeal in Yenagoa, urging stakeholders to support the move to realign Bayelsa with the federal government.
Ikuli, who is also the governor’s Technical Adviser on Print Media, stated that CBSF was non-partisan and included members from various political backgrounds, including non-indigenes.
He said Bayelsa must urgently align with the APC, as many PDP figures allegedly conspired to deny Bayelsa and the Ijaws the presidency in 2015.
He alleged there were plans to exploit the PDP’s internal crises and litigations to invalidate candidates who emerge from the party ahead of future elections.
Ikuli stressed that Bayelsa remains the only PDP state in the South-South, now controlled by a few individuals who pose electoral risks for the 2027 elections.
He revealed that the CBSF would soon begin daily street rallies in Yenagoa to urge Diri to consider defection to the ruling APC.
Mr Ikuli insisted that the governor’s defection is in Bayelsa’s best interest and should be considered non-negotiable and sacrosanct.
He recalled that Ijaw leaders, such as Dappa-Biriye and Melford Okilo, advised alignment with the centre for development due to the region’s remoteness.
Mr Ikuli said that past alignment with PDP, while it ruled nationally, enabled Bayelsa to produce a vice-president and a president in Goodluck Jonathan.
He lamented that Ijaws are now excluded from top federal roles, including the presidency, vice-presidency, and service chiefs, weakening their political relevance.
He said: “In spite of their population and contribution, Ijaws remain marginalised due to lack of alignment with the ruling party.”
He argued that the Ijaws, which contribute over 65 per cent of Nigeria’s oil wealth, have become powerless because they are not aligned with the federal government.
Mr Ikuli explained that Nigeria’s North-South power rotation system indicates that the South must complete its eight-year term under President Bola Tinubu’s current administration.
He noted that Mr Tinubu is committed to strengthening the South and has appointed several Ijaw sons and daughters into key positions.
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