Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, says he will not compel his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, to join him in the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite widespread speculation of a rift between the two leaders.
Diri, who formally defected to the APC on November 3 after resigning from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on October 15, made the clarification during the weekly State Executive Council meeting at Government House, Yenagoa, on Wednesday. Ewhrudjakpo was also in attendance.
His defection, followed by a mass crossover of lawmakers in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to the APC, had fuelled rumours that the deputy governor, who remains in the PDP, was being targeted for impeachment.
The deputy governor had earlier approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the Assembly from removing him over his refusal to defect. Diri, however, disclosed that the suit has now been withdrawn following discussions between both men.
“As a matter of principle, I believe in engagement rather than confrontation,” the governor said. “I do not intend to force people to join the APC but rather to appeal to them to see reason with me. I might have the power today, but not tomorrow.”
Admitting that it is politically uncomfortable for a governor and his deputy to belong to different parties, Diri expressed optimism that continued dialogue could lead to a common political platform.
“It is actually difficult for the governor to be on one side and the deputy on another. But we will continue to talk, and we might end up at the same party tomorrow,” he added.
The governor urged Bayelsans to avoid heating up the polity and to see politics as a vehicle for development, not conflict. “We are done with violence in Bayelsa State. We are brothers and we are one. Politics should be for the development of the state and not to fight one another,” he said.
Diri also dismissed as fake news rumours that armed men from another part of the country had arrived in Bayelsa, but assured that security agencies were on alert to address any threats. He reaffirmed the state as one of the most secure in the country and encouraged residents to report genuine security concerns rather than spread misinformation online.
At the meeting, Bayelsa was presented with an award as the “Best State in Health Insurance Service Delivery” by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, while the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria honoured Diri with a “Distinguished Governor Award” for his support to sports development.
