Bayelsa Assembly Members-Elect Pledge Support For Diri *Gov Says Security Agencies Were Professional, Non-partisan During Polls

Bayelsa State House of Assembly members elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) have expressed appreciation to Governor Douye Diri for the role he played in their victory during the legislative election in the state.

Speaking on behalf of 17 members-elect when they paid the governor a thank-you visit in Government House, Yenagoa, on Thursday, the Speaker, Abraham Ingobere, assured of the readiness of the PDP legislators to continually support his administration to deliver good governance to people of the state.

Ingobere remarked that beyond supporting the programmes and policies of the Prosperity Administration, the members-elect said they will also work for his re-election to enable him continue his good works.

The Speaker equally appreciated the governor and the  security agencies for ensuring that the elections were peaceful.

Responding, Governor Douye Diri expressed delight over the victory of the PDP, which produced the majority of the elected legislators in the assembly. 

He said he was confident of their ability to perform their duties creditably.

Diri stressed the need for the executive and legislative arms of government to continue to work in harmony for the development of the state, saying it is a wrong notion that both arms were supposed to be in constant disagreement.

His words: "It is a thing of joy that all our struggles have paid off. This is a day of joy for us and for our party.

"I am confident all of you have the capacity to perform and I know that you will work in unity with the executive arm just as we have done in the last three years and counting.

"Let us continue to see ourselves as one. Nobody can do it alone, not even me as governor. All we need to do is to put the interest of the state ahead of personal considerations.

"My only regret is that we have only two women elected into the next assembly. By the next election in 2037, we should work to bring in more women.”

Also on Thursday, the Bayelsa governor said the various security agencies were professional and non-partisan in their duties during the general election in the state. 

He spoke during the monthly state security council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, and commended the security heads for the almost flawless performance of their personnel, who ensured the elections were peacefully conducted.

The governor stressed that if the security situation in Bayelsa was the same in other parts of the country, nobody would have cried foul about the electoral process.

He insisted that in the state, the elections were largely free and fair except for the ugly incidents in two constituencies in Brass and Ogbia local government areas.

“We all agreed in this council that security would be non-partisan and be professional in your job and you actually exhibited professionalism. The security agencies, from the police, which is the lead internal security agency, down to the military and paramilitary, you all did your best.

“The image of this country depends on the federating units. If what we are doing here is replicated all over the country, I do not think anybody would say the elections were rigged. I still stand by it that in Bayelsa, the elections were transparent, free and fair.”  

Diri however noted that the November 11 governorship election in the state would be the real acid test for the security agencies and urged them to maintain their good performance.