A former President of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Mr Udengs Eradiri, has welcomed the plan by Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Eradiri, who is also a chieftain of the APC in Bayelsa, appealed to Diri to first call a stakeholders’ meeting and use his influence and position as a governor to resolve the internal crisis rocking the APC in the state.
The former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa, asked Diri to unite the camps of former Governor Timipre Sylva and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri.
Eradiri, who spoke on the development on Monday, advised Diri against succumbing to any pressure to sideline Sylva, the pioneer leader of the APC in Bayelsa. He stated that excluding the former governor from the ongoing negotiations would be counterproductive.
He said Diri was expected to bring his peaceful demeanour to the APC and to manage the differences in the party the same way he worked amicably with all the interests in the PDP.
Addressing the governor, Eradiri said, “I will commend you for the way you managed the PDP in Bayelsa. The PDP was stable until the recent conflicts in Rivers, which led to some of the divisions we have seen. You came in as governor and managed all the interests until you took over the structures.
“I believe that your coming to APC is to go and also manage this emotion to the point where we will have one strong party because the day you join the APC, you become the leader by the Constitution of the party.
“Former Governor Sylva has contributed immensely to the development of APC. All those people throwing stones at Sylva today were not there when Sylva was toiling and building this party. We were in the PDP, and we fought him to ensure that we had our way. But that strengthens the APC we have in the state today.
Heineken Lokpobiri became Minister, allowing these people to push him around, and he wants to assert leadership. It won’t work. There must be seeming respect for the man who had toiled and suffered for the Foundation of this party. Sylva has supported a lot of people, including the Minister. You can’t just push him aside.
“We expect that you bring your peaceful demeanour to come and override these interests and lead it as a quiet house. Bayelsa has many benefits to gain from the APC if we are a strong, united family.
“We don’t want a situation where you come in and these individuals will begin to push you on one side to undermine Sylva and others, who hold the structure of the party. I am appealing to you to call a stakeholders’ meeting, engage Sylva, the Minister and bring this party together before your formal defection”.
Eradiri further insisted that with strong leadership from the governor, Bayelsa would benefit immensely from the looming defection.
He recalled that he once advised the governor, his predecessors, Senator Seriake Dickson and other Ijaw leaders to move to the ruling party to enable the state to attract the necessary development.
Eradiri said that with Diri’s plans to defect to the APC concluded, Bayelsa would gain the global exposure needed to attract investors.
He said, “What are the things we are going to benefit from this APC? It is the capacity you demonstrate as a leader that will ensure the activities for the betterment of your people. If you are in the APC, you must be up and doing.
“You were in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and you were holding meetings at the sidelines with investors. The implication of being an APC man is that when you leave, the investors you have spoken to will call your country or the Presidency. If you are not aligned, they will take that investment to the state that is APC.
“If you are in the ruling party, they will secure the investments for you. The beauty of working with the party in power is that you are also seated at the table of discussion. The President is going abroad for engagements, and our governor will also be there without any fear or favour. On the sidelines, he can market the state, and because you are always with the President, there is confidence in the investments or transactions.
“When leaders sit down to discuss Nigeria, you will have Bayelsans and the Ijaw Nation seated at the table. I attended the APC leaders’ meeting, and there was no Ijaw representation at the table. We are the fourth largest ethnic nationality, which is why I have been critical of the decisions and actions we take to prevent them from backfiring and affecting us negatively.
“We must conduct ourselves in such a way that we are part and parcel of decision-making. We cannot contribute to all the resources, and we are not involved in the decision-making process. I want to welcome you to the APC, and we are ready to support you to
