A former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Engr. Udengs Eradiri has welcomed the plan by Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Eradiri has advised the governor to first convene a stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the internal crisis rocking the APC in the state.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Eradiri, who is also a chieftain of the APC in Bayelsa, urged Governor Diri to utilize his influence and position to unite the party. He specifically called on Diri to bring together the camps of former Governor Timipre Sylva and Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri.
Eradiri warned against sidelining Sylva, the pioneer leader of the APC in Bayelsa, in the ongoing negotiations. He emphasized that leaving out the former governor would be counterproductive. By uniting the party, Eradiri believes the APC can strengthen its position and benefit from Governor Diri’s defection.
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 again the way you managed the PDP in Bayelsa. The PDP was stable until the recent conflicts that we had in Rivers that 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 come 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 strengthen the APC we have in the state today.
“Heineken Lokpobiri became minister and he allowed 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 that your peaceful demeanour to come and override these interests and lead it as a peaceful house. Bayelsa has a lot of benefits to derive from the APC if we are a strong united family.
“We don’t want a situation when 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 attract the necessary development.
Eradiri said with Diri concluding his plans to defect to the APC, Bayelsa would have global exposure required to attract investors.
He said: “What are the things we are going to benefit from this APC? It is the capacity that you dispense as a leader that will guarantee 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 sideline with investors. The implication of being an APC man is that when you leave, those 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 on the table of discuss. The President is going abroad for engagements our governor will also be there without any fear or favour. In the sidelines he can be marketing the state and because you are always with the President, there is this confidence in the investments or transactions.
“When leaders sit down to discuss Nigeria you will have Bayelsans and Ijaw Nation seated on the table. I saw the meeting of APC leaders and there was no Ijaw on that table. We are the fourth largest ethnic nationality and that is why I have been critical about the kind of decisions and actions we take so that it doesn’t boomerang to affect us negatively.
“We must conduct ourselves in such a way that we are part and parcel of decision-making. We cannot be contributing to all the resources and we are not on the table of decision-making. I want to welcome you to the APC and we are ready to support you to succeed”.
