From INIOBONG SUNDAY, UYO
Stakeholders in Niger Delta under the auspices of the Niger Delta Integrity Movement, NDIM, have decried what they described as unholy alliance between the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, 2023 Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to scuttle power shift to the South, as unfair.
NDIM, in a communique made available to Journalists after their meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, Wednesday, said Gov Diri placed his loyalty to his inseparable friendship with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the national agitation for power shift, against the Southern interest
National Coordinator, Bassey Otom Bassey, recalled that Diri even betrayed his brother from Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, who was then the governor of Rivers and presidential aspirant during the primary election of the PDP because of his closeness and personal relationship with Atiku.
He noted that Wike, out of his patriotic believe for the country’s unity, had risked his life to champion power rotation on the grounds of fairness, justice and equity, while Diri, was busy plotting a return of another northern President after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the Bayelsa Governor took his battle against President Tinubu, to a disgusting level when he threw caution to the wind to support the policy of Naira redesign of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
“It is on record that only Diri and his Edo State counterparts, Godwin Obaseki, from the South-South that went to the Supreme Court to join the suit in support of the Naira redesign policy.
“Diri supported it with his full chest despite the hardship and suffering the evil policy inflicted on ordinary Nigerians including the citizens of Bayelsa, whom he took oaths of office to protect.
“For Gov Diri, everything against Tinubu, every policy to frustrate his emergence was good even if millions of ordinary Nigerians would suffer and die from it. We can’t forget that inhuman, reckless and insensitive stance of Gov Diri in his quest to foist another Northern President on us.
“It was heartbreaking to us because we saw how progressive governors of many States, even those that were in PDP fought against that Naira redesign strategy to frustrate Nigerians. It was politics taken too far. But for Gov Diri, it was an opportunity to frustrate the Tinubu’s presidential quest.
“We believe that Diri is simply denying the obvious. His link with Atiku is inseparable and at the right time the signs will manifest.
“Diri’s denial is simply for some immediate political gratifications. Once, he gets whatever he is looking for, the Diri we know, will fully activate this his next ambition”, the communique reads.
