There is rising anger among the members of the various Political Parties in Bayelsa State over the allege plan by Governor Douye Diri to postponement of the Local Government Council election schedule for the May 14th, 2022.
The planned postponement, according to sources, is based on the advice to the State Governor that those that will be elected at the proposed local Government poll will not be qualified to be ad-hoc delegate of his party for the forthcoming PDP National convention.
They also claimed that the Councilors and Chairmen that were used as delegate during the controversial Governorship primaries that threw up Senator Douye Diri as flag bearer will be more loyal than any new one elected by May.
Attempts to get confirmation from the office of the Special Adviser on Political matters, High Collins Cocodia failed as a staff deny knowledge of such planned postponement,†Am just leaving the office and such issue of allege postponement was not mentioned.â€
Leadership gathered that already the political parties under the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) led by Comrade Brisibe Kpodoh is also in the dark about the allege plan to postpone the poll. He told leadership that such issue of postponement might be a possibility based on the scenario that the councilors and Chairmen might not meet up with the numbers of months needed to qualify them as delegate of the PDP for National Convention.
A Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Hon. Sunday Frank Oputu, while confirming the development, describes the excuse being adduced for the planned postponement as ridiculous.
According to him, the state can no longer allow the appointment of caretaker Chairmen into office while the Democratic process mandate the State Governor to conduct local government council election,” the excuse being given is ridiculous” from what am hearing, there is plan to postpone the Local Government poll and the excuse given is ridiculous”
“We gathered that the outgoing ones may become uncontrollable at the State and National Assembly primaries. If they are changed, they may fight the choice of Gov. Diri at the primaries.”
He described the excuses as “lame”,” we call on him to immediately release money to the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission (BASIEC) to conduct the scheduled election. We are also against the appointment of caretaker committee to the councils.”
Hon. Frank-Okputu threatened to approach the Federal High Court to seek order barring the Local Government allocation to release to the state if the election is postponed, “we are also ready to approach the Court stopping the State House of Assembly from entertaining the screening of caretaker committee”
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