Six out of the eight Labour Party chairmen in the local government areas of Bayelsa State have dumped the party’s governorship candidate, Udengs Eradiri, over the alleged exclusion of the party executives and structure in his governorship campaign.
The Party Chairmen, Super Kworkwor (Yenagoa), Ifiemi Ilahnyog (Southern Ijaw), Clinton Naru Emesua (Ogbia), Tamuno Deifugha (Kolokuma/Opokuma), Warri Moses (Sagbama) and Appi Ebierelayefa Stephen (Nembe), also accused the party’s candidate of deliberately refusing to inaugurate campaign council.
He was accused of appointing only a two-man campaign structure which he used as “mere errand boys”.
The six local government party chairmen, in a statement issued in Yenagoa, despite several invitations to appear before the State Executives of the party, accused the governorship candidate of the party of openly insulting, embarrassing and rejecting advice offered him regarding campaign activities.
The statement issued by the six chairmen reads, “Our candidate lacks the maturity that is required to be the Governor of Bayelsa State. Yes, we agree that he is well educated and has experience but maturity is zero. He is too petty, fault-finding, quick-tempered, impatient and very argumentative. Our candidate does not believe in our party or its leadership. He abuses and castigate the party leaders both in private and in public. Even the national leaders are like children as far as our candidate is concerned.
“The Governorship candidate of our party in Bayelsa state deceived us about his financial preparedness to contest this governorship election. Every Bayelsan knows the enormous financial implications of contesting for the position of Governor of a state. The candidate is also 100 per cent aware that the party has depleted its resources in the last presidential election and he ought to also know to have come prepared. Instead, he came and was asking the party what we have brought to the table.
“Financially, in the spirit of disrespect and disbelief in the leadership of the party. The candidate has been visiting our communities, wards and constituencies without informing the party. Our Labour Party structure in the various state levels will call the leaders and complain that they are seeing our candidate in their various communities and that they are not aware of his coming. This has made the local government Chairmen and ward chairmen to lose confidence in the candidate as a person who if elected will not only sideline the party but will also drive the party out of Bayelsa State.”
The party chairmen, however, added that after detailed deliberations, they had resolved that in order to save the existing Labour Party structure from collapse and extinction, “we would rather vote for a more prepared candidate who, in our assessment will perform well when elected and carry the numerous labour party members along, the miracle Governor, Senator Douye Diri of the PDP.”
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