Elizabeth Vincent, Yenagoa
Former governorship candidate of the Labour Party at the 2023 off cycle election in Bayelsa State, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has criticized Governor Douye Diri’s administration, describing it as a fluke and lacking genuine leadership capacity.
Speaking during an interactive session at the Correspondents’ Forum, organized by the federated correspondents chapel (FCC) of the Nigeria union of journalists (NUJ), Eradiri stated that the Diri led government has no clear direction or strategy.
“People are being killed in broad daylight in this town and the government seems unbothered,instead they are more focused on lobbying to become Atiku’s running mate Eradiri lamented.
He warned that political association with former vice president Atiku Abubakar has historically brought misfortune to politicians, everyone who aligns with Atiku ends up doomed,Alamieyeseigha suffered after joining him and eventually died in misery Ibori ended up in prison.
Okowa plunged Delta State into debt, and the crisis in Rivers state involving Sim Fubara is also tied to Atiku. Now, this governor wants to join the same Atiku who is going nowhere.
Eradiri further criticized the political elite in the South, stating that the North has hijacked power, while southern leaders remain directionless, Nigeria operates on a north south arrangement, and it was the south’s turn.
“According to him but the north blatantly took it and our leaders did nothing, these governors are a disgrace to governance, unlike the likes of Ibori, Alamieyeseigha, and Odili who had no skeletons in their cupboards today’s governors have squandered the excess crude funds provided by President Tinubu, and now they’re rushing to join the APC to seek cover.”
He accused them of lacking the moral standing to defend their actions,they can’t hold their heads high they’ve plunged Bayelsa into a political and economic mess.
Eradiri, who recently joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), said he abandoned the Labour Party after witnessing firsthand the poverty across Bayelsa State. Our people are too poor to remain in the opposition,during the election, I visited every corner of this state, and poverty was everywhere, On election day, people voted against their conscience because of hunger.
He also lamented the state of the local economy shops are shutting down daily due to economic hardship and the government’s inability to handle issues, Bayelsa is in shambles, let’s stop deceiving ourselves.
Commenting on the political crisis in Rivers State, Eradiri questioned the role of Ijaw leaders in supporting Governor Siminalayi Fubara, when Sim and his boss started having issues, they called it an Ijaw fight, now that the vice presidential ambition has collapsed, where are the Ijaw leaders to back Sim, these are political issues, not ethnic ones I warned that the conflict between Sim and Wike was political, but people turned it into an ethnic matter,now Sim is left alone where are the Ijaw elders? he asked.
He accused both Rivers and Bayelsa leaders of mismanaging funds for selfish political gain they diverted Rivers’ money and Bayelsa’s funds into unnecessary vanity projects like a nine storey secretariat, when even the lifts in the existing four storey building don’t work, civil servants live in deplorable conditions why not invest in housing for them instead, It’s because they’re busy siphoning money to fund Atiku’s ambitions.”
Eradiri also criticized Governor Fubara’s approach to the crisis. “Sim isn’t handling the situation properly. He isn’t engaging with Assembly members. He’s busy being taken to the President by sycophants for photo ops. They forget that PDP governors are in court against the President ,it would be prejudicial for him to interfere. Yet, Sim went to thank the President for ‘saving’ him from impeachment. If he’s reinstated today, he’ll be impeached tomorrow,” he warned.
He concluded by calling for a genuine resolution led by governor Fubara and Ijaw leaders,where are the Ijaw leaders? there’s no clear intention to resolve anything it’s all about selfish interests I’m not a novice in the Niger Delta struggle.
