A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa State, Festus Daumiebi Sunday, has hailed Governor Douye Diri’s decision to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which he described as a sinking party.
Festus, a gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the APC in the 2023 election, said Diri’s decision is the best thing to happen to Bayelsa, describing it as bold, forward-looking and rooted in trans-generational thinking.
In a statement he signed and issued on Thursday, Festus maintained that Bayelsa will now connect with the federal structure, a development which he said would further deepen the vision of Diri’s prosperity administration.
The APC chieftain stated further that political parties are vehicles for election and that the pronouncement defines the governor as a statesman with clear understanding of the political weather in the country.
Festus assured that he, alongside other leaders and all members of the APC in Bayelsa, will stand resolute to welcome the governor and his team.
The APC chieftain also disclosed that the governor and his team joining the APC
will carry significant weight in shaping the fortunes of Bayelsa State.
He described Governor Diri as a peaceful, accommodating and bipartisan leader who has been governing the state in an all inclusive manner, urging all Bayelsans to respect his inalienable right of freedom of association.
“For those who choose to remain in the People Democratic Party and play opposition, it is their constitutional right as plurality of choice is the hallmark of democracy,” he noted.
However, he stated that the state’s interest must take precedent over personal interests and appealed to all Bayelsans not to relent in their support for the governor, for the state to continue to grow in leaps and bounds.
Festus, in the same vein, condemned attacks directed at the governor in the media over his decision to defect to the APC.
According to him, Governor Diri “only exercised his fundamental right to freedom of association”.
Stressing that political parties are not secret societies where membership cannot be denounced, the APC chieftain called on political leaders to respect the personal decisions of others.