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Violence Breaks In Bayelsa as Diri is sworn in

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Police impose three-day dawn-to-dusk curfew

Protesters attack Dickson’s, Diri’s houses, destroy vehicles

Bayelsa State capital erupted in violence yesterday moment after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed Senator Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as governor-elect of the state.

Youths believed to be supporters of the sacked David Lyon stormed the streets protesting Thursday’s annulment of his election by the Supreme Court.

Lyon yesterday rejected the court’s decision.

The protesters attacked the Bayelsa State government owned radio station and the private residences of both Diri and Dickson at Opolo.

Vandalized were furniture and fittings. Windscreens of vehicles in the two houses were smashed.

People in the compounds fled to safety.

Other protesters  set  bonfires on the  Kiama Bridge end of the East-West Road , leaving hundreds of travellers stranded.

Security agents however brought the situation under control and  paved the way for the swearing in of Diri as the fifth civilian governor of the state.

Also sworn in last night was his deputy, Senator  Lawrence Ewhrudjakpor.

Moments after the ceremony, the police imposed a three day curfew on the state to check further violence.

Some other placard-carrying APC supporters gathered at the state party’s  secretariat and the popular Tombia junction from where they  marched to the Government House and the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa.

The placards carried inscriptions such as “No David Lyon, no governor”, and “We will not allow our votes to get lost”.

The protesters obstructed traffic on major roads in the state.

Mr Alabo Martins, Secretary of APC in the state, said that the protest was to register their grievance over Supreme Court ruling sacking Lyon.

“We have to tell the whole world that we will not agree until Lyon is sworn in.

“This is a peaceful protest and we are doing it to ensure that state have good governance,” Martins said.

The General Manager of  Radio Bayelsa, Dr. John Idumange, condemned the attack on the station.

He said: “APC zealots and militants have destroyed several official and personal cars of staffers and vandalized some offices including accounts, marketing and the General Manager’s office in Radio Bayelsa today.

“The sponsors of this dastardly act are  unknown but feelers indicate that some members of staff who work secretly and espionage for APC are involved.

“We passionately appeal to the law enforcement agencies to investigate the mayhem  and bring the culprits to book.  Meanwhile, we know some staff who were so irked at the Supreme Court judgment that they even shut down the generator under the guise of RATTAWU/NUJ unionism.”

Diri and  Erwujakpor later flew into town from Abuja where they had collected their Certificates of Return from INEC.

By 6.30 p.m the swearing in ceremony had got underway.

Between 6:35pm to 6:55pm, the new governor and his deputy took their  oaths of office and allegiance.

The oaths were administered on them by the Chief Justice of the state, Kate Abiri, who described the event as unique as it fell on Valentine Day.

She recalled that in 2012 when she swore in former Governor Seriake Dickson, she enjoined the people of Bayelsa to pray for his government.

She further appealed to the people of the state to extend such prayers to the new government to lead a successful administration.

We’ve to be magnanimous in victory,says the new governor.

Diri, in his first address to the people of Bayelsa, called for a minute silence for those who were killed in the violence that erupted during the PDP campaign in Nembe Local Government Area.

He said: “My dear good people of Bayelsa State, this is a state that we all wanted to create. As a serving member of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) we traversed the length and breadth of Nigeria and all of us wanting to create the state that can develop our area.

“Today, we have a state. Governors have come and governors have gone. We today have been sworn in of the PDP. My advice to all of us is that we have to be magnanimous in victory.

“The bitterness, the acrimony; if we kill ourselves who are we going to lead? Are we going to lead animals? Today is 14th of February, a day of love. As a valentine governor and deputy governor, we bring the message of love to Bayelsa State. We bring the message of hope to Bayelsa. We bring the message of prosperity to Bayelsa State.

“Therefore, let us eschew bitterness and acrimony and learn to love ourselves whether of the same party or different parties. Primarily, we are brothers and sisters from Bayelsa State.

“Our creed today is to serve you. Like the immediate past governor would say that he who serves men well serves God well. We have come to serve you. Let us work together to serve you.”

Former President Goodluck Jonathan in his message to the new governor urged him to build hope and sustain  peace across the state.

Jonathan described Diri’s journey to the Creek Haven, sobriquet to Bayelsa Government House, as divine and advised him to use the position to do good to humanity.

He said: “I congratulate His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri who was sworn in today as the 5th Civilian Governor of Bayelsa State, in compliance with the Supreme Court verdict of yesterday, 13th February 2020.

“As governor, the responsibility of building hope and sustaining peace across the state now lies on your shoulders. I urge you to always bear in mind that you are the governor of all Bayelsans and to seize this moment of glory to build bridges of unity by entrenching a culture of love, fairness and justice in our polity.

“Your journey to Creek Haven is a divine one, so I advise you to use the position to do good to humanity and pursue the development of the state in order to write your name in gold. You have worked with me before as a commissioner, so I am without doubt that you will live up to the expectations of our people.

“I call on all Bayelsans to be law-abiding, peaceful and embrace this transition in all sincerity, and work together towards a united and prosperous state.”

Curfew imposed in Bayelsa

The police in Bayelsa State swiftly imposed a curfew to check the violence  in the state.

Police Commissioner  Uche Anozia, said the curfew would last between 8pm to 6am beginning from yesterday to tomorrow.

He said eight persons had been arrested so far for violent conduct following the protest rocking different parts of the state.

Anozia warned residents to obey the curfew insisting that violators would be arrested

Lyon rejects judgement

The ousted Bayelsa State governor-elect, Chief David Lyon , yesterday  rejected the verdict  of the Supreme Court that stopped his swearing-in.

He said Diri did not deserve to be inaugurated as   governor because  he did not meet the constitutional requirements as directed by the court.

Lyon who spoke through  the member representing Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Preye Oseke, described the judgement as shocking and procured.

He said the APC and the people of Bayelsa totally rejected the judgement and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to issue Certificate of Return to Diri.

Lyon argued that even based on the pronouncement of the court, Diri was not qualified to be sworn-in as he failed to meet the constitutionally required geographical spread in the election.

He said: As a people and party, we are rejecting the judgement completely. It is a procured judgement. While we have our respect for our revered justices, we believe that this is not the wish of Bayelsans.

“We are calling on INEC not to issue Certificate of Return  to the candidate of the PDP because the candidate of the PDP was unable to score the required 25 per cent in the two third of the local government areas.

“As a party, we are law abiding. Our properties had been destroyed even in the midst of the judgement. But we are calling on all our party supporters to remain calm while our leaders, stakeholders meet and come up with the next line of action.

“We  believe that the right thing will be done and the rule of law will be upheld.”

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Adeleke slams Aregbesola Over 2026 guber threat, Says A man who left a legacy of huge state debt And his tenure worst in Osun history

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Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has fired back at the National Secretary of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) and former governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola, over his vow to unseat him in the 2026 governorship election scheduled for August 8.

Aregbesola, during a homecoming event on Sunday, had criticised Adeleke’s leadership style and declared that the ADC would reclaim power in the next election.

Reacting in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke described Aregbesola’s administration as the worst in Osun’s history, citing policies such as half salary payments, uncompleted projects, and the failed education tablet initiative (Opon Imo).

He accused Aregbesola of inflicting “inhumane maladministration” on Osun residents and condemned his recent comments as “the empty boast of a troubled mind haunted by his failures.”

Adeleke added that his government has made significant progress in repairing the damage left behind, including the payment of 28 months of outstanding half salaries and nearly ₦60 billion in pension debts, both inherited from Aregbesola’s tenure.

 

“Workers, pensioners, and the general public are not praying for a return to the evil days of a bad administrator,” he stated.

 

The governor also highlighted that under his leadership, Osun State has reduced the debt burden left by Aregbesola by 40 percent, according to the Debt Management Office, without borrowing for infrastructure projects.

“Within less than three years, Governor Adeleke has surpassed the eight-year record of Mr Aregbesola without borrowing a kobo,” the statement concluded.

“Mr Aregbesola is invited to note that Governor Adeleke has constructed about 200 Kilometers of roads, rehabilitated over 200 schools and health centers, placed over 30, 000 pensioners on free health insurance care, provided critical medical surgeries to over 60,000 Osun residents, Completed several abandoned projects at Osun State University, made University of Ilesa a reality among several others.

“If Mr Aregbesola is to accuse Governor Adeleke of non-performance, we await his review of the dualisation of the palace to brewery junction at Ilesa, which he failed to achieve while in office. He should check out the flyover projects at Ile Ife and Osogbo, and the dualisation projects ongoing at Iwo, among others.
Osun people know their present and past governors. Our people are smart enough to know that the worst era for Osun state is that of Mr Aregbesola, under whom many pensioners lost their lives, thousands of lives were disrupted, and the state plunged into unsustainable debt that is still hurting the state to date. No voter in Osun is ready for a return to the dark days.

 

“We therefore dismiss Mr Aregbesola’s boast as a blurry vision of another world other than Osun, where Governor Adeleke has received accolades and awards for delivering on good governance and where Osun people have appreciated the local content policy, the non-borrowing policy, and the people’s first style of the current governor.

 

“Mr Aregbesola is a shrew (Asin ti o mo pe ohun unrun) who does not know that he is smelling. 2026 is a payback time when Osun people will punish the former Governor and his new party for wilfully inflicting pains and suffering on Osun people throughout his eight years’ rule”, the statement concluded.

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2027 Elections: Controversy Rocks Coalition as Bode George Slams Atiku, Obi — “You Can’t Serve Two Masters”

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Formet Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark and other promoters of the coalition under African Democratic Congress (ADC) yesterday came under further attacks for what a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, called seeking to serve two masters.

George, a former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, accused Atiku and other party members of moving into ADC without resigning from the party.

He said it was bad enough that Atiku and Mark in particular had to abandon the PDP to its fate after precipitating the crisis that has turned the party into a shadow of its former self.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the anti-Tinubu coalition as a political distraction which is bound to fail.

Chief George, speaking on Channels Television, said: “You can’t serve two masters, as stated in the Holy Book. You either serve A or you serve B. But to say you are in A and B is a fallacy.”

 

He alleged that Mark and Atiku were some of the architects of the crisis rocking the PDP.

 

Continuing, he said: “It is nothing but existential imbecility. Or sometimes what is called existential docility. What is it that they are all going there?

“This is your father’s house. The house made you, brought you into the limelight. You gain every laurel and recognition from this same house. And because there is a little crisis, is leaving the cultural thing to do? No, you sit in there.

 

“If you have a house that is leaking, do you run out? No, you are the landlord.

 

“Do they have a concept? What is the strategy they have? That is a classless strategy.

“When we had the last convention, General Buhari had just finished eight years. Then Atiku Abubakar wanted to compete (but) we said no; a northerner had just finished eight years. We had (Peter) Obi in the South. This was the beginning of the crisis.

 

“David Mark was the chairman of that convention and Iyorchia Ayu was the chairman of the party. Of course, you cannot do things like that and get away with it. I warned against it at that point.”

 

Leave LP now, join Obi in ADC, Abure tells Gov Otti

Abure in a statement yesterday asked Otti to stop deceiving the public that he has not joined the other faction’s Caretaker Committee in the coalition party.

The leadership of the LP, according to him, is in a hurry to recalibrate the party ahead of 2027.

Abure said the LP would not fall for Otti’s deception again.

“How can he be in the Labour Party when recently he conducted the local government election in Abia State with Zenith Labour Party as his party?” he wondered.

He added: “He should not think that every Nigerian is bereft of knowledge. He formed and is funding the illegal caretaker committee that has formally joined the ADC.

 

“The icing on the cake was the Wednesday unveiling of the coalition where every member of the caretaker committee formally joined the ADC.

 

“We are shocked that Otti is paradoxically trying to mislead members of the Labour Party to say that he is still a member of the Labour Party. In any event, we had earlier suspended him indefinitely from the party because of his anti-party activities.

“Labour Party is on the move again. We have the best brand in Nigeria, and we are eager to engage young Nigerians who have the interest of the nation at heart.

 

“We are therefore willing to let go of everyone, no matter how high, whose interest in Nigeria is self-driven, opportunistic politicians who are not principled.

 

“Labour Party is not and cannot be in any coalition because coalitions of political parties are ideologically bereft. It is a marriage of political strange fellows whose only agenda is power-grabbing.

“It is selfish in nature, and no true democrat will agree to such an amalgam. Labour Party is therefore in a hurry to sanitise itself of people without character.”

 

Sanwo-Olu: Anti-Tinubu coalition will fail

 

Governor Sanwo-Olu told a group of journalists and politicians in Lagos Nigerians would support President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the gains of his bold reforms are fully realised.

He described the ADC as nothing but a mere distraction which President Tinubu should ignore.

“Nigerians will never go back to Egypt,” Sanwo-Olu said.

 

“The target is to distract the Commander-in-Chief and derail the social and economic gains that we can see and feel. But President Tinubu knows the game and will never fall for their bait.”

 

In Sanwo-Olu’s view, President Tinubu’s track record, achievements and reform agenda are strong enough to stand above any narrative being crafted to derail his administration or his prospects for re-election.

He cited the stability in the foreign exchange market, students loan scheme, massive infrastructural projects, more revenue for states  after the removal of fuel subsidy, tax reforms, increased oil production and the national minimum wage, among others.

 

“President Tinubu is not only a builder of men but a visionary leader whose impact is evident across the nation,” Sanwo-Olu said.

 

Asked if the President and his All Progressives Congress (APC) were bothered about ADC and its promoters, Sanwo-Olu said: “No one should be concerned or distracted by what ADC or any other group is attempting to orchestrate. The truth is clear, the people can see the difference, and history is on his side.

“They have nothing but bitterness to offer; they are bound together by their illogical resentment against President Tinubu, not by any edifying ideology. They will run out of steam.

Asked what advice he had for the President, the governor said:”Simple. The President should stay the course. Millions of well-meaning Nigerians across party lines and compatriots who understand what it takes to govern the most populous black nation on earth and revive a troubled economy are behind him and trust his leadership.”

“We know how far we’ve come under President Tinubu’s leadership. The focus should remain on delivering results, deepening reforms and building a stronger Nigeria. Any attempt to shake that foundation will be futile.”

Coalition proof Tinubu’s policies ended business as usual, says Lloyd

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Chidi Lloyd, said that the ongoing coalition against President Bola Tinubu is a proof that the President’s policies are working, effective and no longer business as usual.

 

Lloyd, former Emohua Local Government Chairman in Rivers State, said the coalition would only compel many Nigerians to believe in the administration of Tinubu because his policies had displaced established politicians.

 

He said the fact that most individuals, who had held various offices in the country without making significant positive impact, were forced out of their comfort zone for a coalition, was an indication that the country was getting it right.

Describing the coalition as dead on arrival, Lloyd said all members of the group were not foreigners but known old politicians who have been in the corridors of power since 1999.

 

He said Nigerians were wiser now and would not allow same people that foisted a system that never worked on them to return to power.

 

He took a swipe at some individual members of the coalition, saying they lacked moral rectitude to preach to Nigerians about a better country.

Lloyd said: “The coalition is dead on arrival. We didn’t see any foreigner. If the coalition were formed by citizens of America or Britain, we would have been worried. The coalition still has the same faces, the same old faces since 1999.

 

“I agree that what we have is a gathering of displaced politicians. We have a former vice-president; we have someone that was a Senate President for eight years. He was in a position to change Nigeria. His daughter won an election under an opposition party. It means his own political party is not popular in his federal constituency. “

 

 ADA Registration: Northern groups tackle El-Rufai, Amaechi over comments on INEC

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and the Northern Awareness Network (NAN), yesterday faulted former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of frustrating the registration of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA).

The AYCF in a statement by its President-General, Yerima Shettima, said Nigeria’s electoral process is governed by clear rules and procedures meant to uphold transparency, fairness and accountability, insisting that Amaechi’s claims of deliberate obstruction by INEC were not only baseless but also reflected a poor understanding of the registration framework.

 

“INEC’s requirements, such as submission of office addresses and proper identification of party officers, are standard protocols that all parties must meet to be duly registered,” Shettima noted.

 

“It is critical that all political entities, including the ADA, comply with these guidelines to preserve the integrity of our democracy.”

The AYCF leader described as “disheartening” the resort by Amaechi and El-Rufai to what he termed sensational claims, instead of focusing on addressing the substantive compliance issues facing their new party.

 

“The ADA’s struggles to meet INEC’s clear requirements should not be twisted into tales of bias or conspiracy by the commission,” Shettima stressed.

 

“What we see here is a need for diligent preparation on the part of political actors.”

On his part, Chairman of NAN, Salihu Suleiman, warned that expecting INEC to compromise its standards for ADA would be unrealistic and a dangerous subversion of democratic principles.

 

Suleiman said El-Rufai’s skepticism over INEC’s willingness to register the ADA typified a growing habit among some political leaders to question electoral institutions instead of engaging them constructively. He cautioned that such rhetoric could undermine trust in the electoral process and disenfranchise voters.

 

Both groups urged Amaechi, El-Rufai and other political actors to exercise restraint in their public statements, build trust in democratic institutions and approach their political ambitions within the framework of established laws. They reiterated their commitment to supporting a fair, transparent and credible electoral process in Nigeria

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Breaking : APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, Resigns

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Ganduje, a former Governor of Kano State, cited health reasons for his resignation, stating that he needs to “focus on his well-being.”

Mr. Ganduje’s time as APC chairman has been fraught with controversy and internal challenges.

While his resignation letter attributes his decision to health-related concerns, sources close to the situation suggest that mounting political tensions within the party may have influenced his move to step aside.

There have also been allegations of financial misconduct tied to his leadership, with some party members reportedly protesting against what they described as “excessive financial demands” from his office

 

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