According to Chief Diekive Ikiogha, members of the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) intend to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in order to guarantee Governor Douye Diri’s reelection.
The All Progressives Congress chieftain Ikiogha predicted that even if the APC controls the federal government, it will not win the Bayelsa governorship race. Ikiogha backed Peter Obi and the Obedient movement in the 2023 presidential contest.
In a press conference over the weekend, the former Commissioner for Agriculture insisted that his decision to back Diri stems from his ongoing quest for a leader who can actually develop Bayelsa.
As one of the state’s founding fathers, he claimed that he was worried about Bayelsa’s progress and that Diri was the one who could help the state flourish.
He recalled how he had backed the APC in 2019, which led to David Lyon’s victory. However, he also mentioned that he had closely examined the candidates of the two major parties and found that, even with its centralization of power, the APC will not win the upcoming governorship election because of its choice of flag bearers and deputy.
Ikiogha further said that the Labour Party will face legal challenges that would render the party’s nominee ineligible due to national factions.
‘’It’s very obvious that PDP will win, and with the support of other stakeholders, it is crystal clear. When we left PDP, we depleted the party, and now that we are back, the support will be massive again. PDP has the better structure to win the election. They are better organised than others; when they have issues, they quickly resolve and that is the party we built, and we are back.
“We had reasons for leaving the party at that time when the party lost focus on leadership; there was insecurity but the current administration has changed the dynamics of governance, and that is part of why we are back to our family.
“Before taking my submission, I engaged both parties on their strategy and how to achieve the plans of developing the state if they win, and the most preferred was the PDP. The APC lacks internal democracy within its folds and inclusiveness. And it’s like an enterprise where only one person runs the show,’’ he said.
Comments