The Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri has urged Bayelsans to come out again on Saturday to vote for all the People’s Democratic Party (PDPP) candidates for the State House of Assembly election, maintaining that what happened during the last in the state shown that the people appreciate the efforts of the PDP-led government.
Speaking on Thursday in Yenagoa during a state-wide broadcast, the governor said “I urge you to come out in great numbers to demonstrate that same level of commitment and confidence in our house of assembly candidates on the ballot on March 18, 2023. We cannot afford to be complacent.
“Together, we have sent the clearest message yet to our opponents that the people of Bayelsa appreciate the efforts of the PDP to build a state that will meet the aspirations of all its citizens.
“As you are aware, over the weekend of the 25th and 26th of February, we, like millions of other Nigerians, had a historic opportunity to cast our vote to set the course on what could potentially be a journey leading to our shared prosperity and aspirations for a better Nigeria.
“Whereas we may argue about which political party offered the best platform for such a conclusion, it is beyond debate that free and fair elections guarantee our best prospects for securing the dignity of our future, the future of our children, and the future of a prosperous, safe and happy nation. You are the custodians of this great promise.
“It thus gives me great joy to know that even under the most inclement conditions, you turned out in your numbers to vote. I thank you and salute your resilience, courage, patriotism, and orderly conduct.
“For us in Bayelsa, it was an early referendum on the performance of the three years of our government of prosperity. This election offered us a clear choice to move forward together with courage and confidence and endorse the modest accomplishments of this administration.
“Your overwhelming and emphatic vote for all the candidates of the PDP in the last elections is a vote of confidence in the party and the prosperity administration. Together, we have sent an unambiguous message that Bayelsa is 100% PDP and PDP is 100% Bayelsa.
“In Bayelsa, we are committed to entrenching a culture of voting without intimidation. Elections are about ballots, not bullets. Citizens must not only be allowed to vote, but their votes must be counted, and their votes must count. Thankfully, this was our experience in all the 2,244 polling units in the 105 wards across the eight Local Government Areas of the State where no single incident of death was recorded.
“I hail the security agencies for sustaining a safe and secure environment for the elections. I equally appreciate the independent national electoral commission (INEC) for conducting an acceptable election in Bayelsa. I, however, note with concern the widespread complaints of irregularities in several places outside the state.
“It is crucial to draw attention to the logistical challenges and significant lapses in the performance of the BVAS machines in which much faith of the Nigerian people for a new paradigm in the credible election is anchored.
“The major shift in our electoral process is the use of technology for electronic transmission of results from polling units to eliminate such vulnerabilities as fraudulent adjustment of figures at collation centres, which used to be a major bane of our electoral process. This, unfortunately, has not been adhered to, in the main.
“In conclusion, let me again express my profound gratitude to all Bayelsans for your generous support. Your unambiguous endorsement of the policies and programmes of this government through your decisive vote for all our candidates at the just concluded elections means we can continue to move forward together to empower our youth, secure our environment, build roads, schools, health facilities, physical infrastructure as well as bridges of cooperation and peace.
