Governor Douye Diri resumed his re-election campaign in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, his home local government area, on Friday after a break on Thursday to visit President Bola Tinubu in Abuja to congratulate him on his Supreme Court victory.
The visit sparked mixed reactions in his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) base as well as the opposition, but Diri said there was nothing unusual about the visit as he was at liberty to congratulate the president as the apex court affirmed his election.
However, he explained that he met President Tinubu to discuss serious state matters and that the president attended to the issues positively as he began his campaign in his home local government area at Igbedi community.
The governor, who acknowledged that propaganda has been the hallmark of the campaign of the opposition, said he was not disturbed by their speculations and lies of the opposition, while noting that they became jittery due to the visit.
He called on the electorate not to waste their votes on the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) come the November 11 governorship election as he remained disqualified based on the first amended list of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Saying he was not in Igbedi to campaign as his projects there are evident, he promised that in his second tenure, he would construct a road linking the community to Kaiama, which will create a better access to and fro the Bayelsa International Airport from the East-West road and the Delta State axis.
His words: “Yesterday (Thursday), I was in Abuja and most of you saw the video trending. The opposition is now jittery and are telling lies. Of course, that is in their character.
“As a sitting governor, there is a sitting president and I do not owe them any explanation about my visit to the president.
“If the Supreme Court affirms the president of the country, as a sitting governor I reserve all the rights to visit him. But beyond that, I went for very serious state business and I can tell you that Mr. President attended to all the issues I raised.
“Those whose names have been delisted by amendment number one of INEC can no longer sleep. They will continue to have sleepless nights.
“In our second tenure, the other road that will be important to Bayelsa and even the people of Delta State and for the use of our airport will be to connect Igbedi to Kaiama. That will be the next project we will embark upon in our next tenure.”
At all the other stops in Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency 2, the governor repeatedly said he was not there to campaign and at Sabagreia, headquarters of the constituency, the campaign turned to a praise and worship event.
He assured of completing the Sabagreia/Polaku link road as well as the bridge at Polaku and as in all his campaigns so far, he took time to commission completed projects.
Earlier at Igbedi community, Diri observed a minute’s silence in honour of the APC Campaign Council Director of Media and Publicity, Peremobowei Tukuwei, who died in a tragic boat on Wednesday in Nembe Local Government Area.
The PDP Campaign Council had earlier in a statement signed by the Director of Media and Publicity, Ayibaina Duba, commiserated with the APC and AIT as well as the people of Ndoro in Ekeremor Local Government Area, on the Tukuwei’s death.
At Igbedi community, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Environment, Iselema Gbaranbiri, had expressed appreciation to Governor Diri for the administration’s projects in the community and assured him of total support during the November 11 election.
