Former Labour Party governorship candidate in Bayelsa State. Udengs Eradiri, has spoken on the prospect of Governor Douye Diri’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Eradiri, who had earlier urged Gov. Diri to lead Ijaws to the APC, on Monday, described the reported move by the governor to abandon the PDP for the ruling APC as a great deal for Bayelsa people and the Ijaws at large.
In a statement he issued in Yenagoa, Eradiri appealed to Gov. 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 asked the governor to unite the camps of former Governor Timipre Sylva and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri.
Eradiri warned Gov. Diri against succumbing to any pressure to sideline Sylva, the pioneer leader of the APC in Bayelsa State, stressing that leaving out the former governor in the ongoing negotiations would be counterproductive.
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He said Gov. Diri is 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.
Eradiri further insisted that with strong leadership from the governor, Bayelsa State 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 with Gov. Diri concluding his plans to defect to the APC, the state would have global exposure required to attract investors.
