Bayelsa poll: We’re not in any deal with Gov Diri — LP

The Labour Party (LP) has described as false and unsubstantiated the news making the rounds that its Bayelsa State chapter has ditched its governorship candidate in the November 11 election, Udengs Eradiri, and has declared its support for Governor Douye Diri.

The party said on Thursday via a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, that its attention was also drawn to a statement issued by some unauthorised party leaders without the consent of the state chairman and secretary who supposedly withheld their individual support for our candidate.

The party’s leadership said they also read a statement by the chairman of the Forum of Labour Party Local Government Chairmen as well as the interview granted Eradiri with a national television on the matter.

Ifoh said in the statement, “We sincerely do believe that all these issues are clearly a manifestation of political intrigues and clearly an attempt by the opposition elements to frustrate our chances at achieving victory at the polls

“Our preliminary investigation on the allegation of financial compromise by the state chapter clearly shows that the alarm was false and has remain one of the age long tools often deployed by political opponents to achieve dubious edge over candidates who are the favourites of the people.

“We need to however state categorically that no party official from the national headquarters has entered into any deal with the Bayelsa State governor to compromise the election.”

The LP stated that they are in the race to win the Bayelsa governorship election and that no amount of “dirty politicking” can stop Eradiri, a former president of the Ijaw Youth Council, from winning the election.

“Comrade Eradiri is young, popular, experienced and with track record of performance at the highest level. His zeal to change the socio economic status of Bayelsa is unimaginable and unprecedented.

“We therefore believe that the unfounded rumour is being orchestrated by our political opponents. We also use this opportunity to call on our candidate, Eradiri to be focused and not to be distracted from the goals before him. He must ensure that the entire party structure is put into maximal use to achieve the needed success.

“Finally, we urge Bayelsa people to disregard the rumour and support the party as they have always done in time past, particularly, in the recently concluded presidential election where the state voted for Labour Party massively. They must file out and vote for the Labour Party and vote out these personalities who have held the state down since inception of this democracy,” the party added.