In a surprising turn of events, a Chieftain of the Labour Party, Dr. John Idumange has thrown his weight behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Chief Timipre Sylva for the upcoming Governorship elections in Bayelsa State.
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While speaking to Erevision MediaTV. Com via WhatsApp , Dr. Idumange who previously campaigned for Governor Douye Diri, expressed his disillusionment with the current governor, citing broken promises and a failure to deliver on crucial policies.
According to Dr. Idumange, Governor Diri has received over N1 trillion in just three years, more than any previous governor, but has failed to justify this amount with adequate projects or policies. He said that the National Bureau of Statistics has noted a significant increase in poverty rates in Bayelsa State, rising from 23% in 2019 to a staggering 88.5% in 2023.
Dr. John Idumange who was apparently reacting to an article titled “Trading Places: A Face-Off between Sylva and Diri” in which he was described as member of APC by this reporter, went on to accuse Governor Diri of either stealing or misappropriating this significant amount of money, leaving the people of Bayelsa State to suffer the consequences of his actions, notably, that the government cannot account for the discounted N104 billion received by the governor in derivative arrears.
“I am a member of the Labour Party, but Chief Timipre Sylva is my candidate for the governorship elections in Nov 2023. Remember, I campaigned for Douye Diri and even lost a driver to the incident in Nembe”.
“We agreed on certain policies in the manifesto. For the past three years, Governor Diri has indeed betrayed all those who supported him. He has betrayed the trust we reposed in him”, he said.
Dr. Idumange’s support for Chief Timipre Sylva is not without reason. He believes that the battle against Governor Diri is a battle against evil and a fight for the survival of the state. But some Bayelsans think that it may also be a means of restitution, to make up with the former Minister of Petroleum (State) whom Dr. Idumange had disparaged as being the “worst Governor” during his time in the Restoration Agenda of Henry Seriake Dickson.
The Labour Party has a Gubernatorial Candidate in the person of Engr. Udengs Eradiri whose campaigns require the support of party big wigs like Dr. Idumange and political pundits are wondering whether other members of the Labour Party will follow Dr. Idumange’s lead in supporting Chief Timipre Sylva in the upcoming elections on November 11, 2023.
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