Bayelsa Guber: It’s About Contest Of Votes, Not Guns, Gov Diri Tells Opposition

*Assures Opponents Of Level Field*

*Expresses Satisfaction With Nembe-Brass Road Project*

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has asked politicians in the state not to prepare for violence in the November 11 governorship election, saying the poll is about votes and not guns.

The Governor who had earlier expressed satisfaction with the pace of work at the Nembe–Brass project, also urged his opponents to contest for the ballots and not bullets.

His Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as stating this during the 25th State Security Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, on Thursday.

He warned the opposition not to resort to mayhem and violence as it will not be tolerated.

Governor Diri, who referred to a recent concern expressed by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, that incumbent governors were preventing the opposition from using public facilities in some states, assured that his administration will ensure a level field for all parties and that the opposition in the state will not be arm-twisted.

He, however, urged the security agencies to be alert to forestall any act of violence ahead of the election.

His words: “In Bayelsa, I assure my opponents that we are not going to arm-twist anyone. In the same vein, no opponent should threaten mayhem and violence.

“This government can contain them if anybody dares us. We want Bayelsa State, which is the centre and Jerusalem of all Ijaws, to play that role of not only tolerating ourselves but also visitors who come here to contribute to the growth and development of this state.

“So I again call on all our security agencies to be alert as we move towards the November 11 contest. It is a contest of votes and not of guns. It is a contest of ballots, not bullets. As the former president succinctly said that his office was not worth the blood of any Nigerian, I believe in that and I stand by those words.”

Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, the state Commissioner of Police, Tolani Alausa, said the council resolved that a joint task force to checkmate criminal activities preparatory to the governorship election, particularly in the Nembe axis, would be set up soon.

Alausa noted that the task force would comprise the military, police, Department of State Security, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other key security agencies to be headed by the police commissioner.

He also disclosed that the council approved the setting up of a task force to clamp down on unapproved tinted vehicles used to perpetrate crime in and around the state capital.
Meanwhile, Governor Diri has said he was impressed with the pace of construction on the ongoing 21km Nembe-Brass road project.
Speaking in Nembe during a project inspection visit, Governor Diri said after he visited last month and complained about the extent of work compared to the N16 billion mobilisation already paid, the contractor had improved and can now justify the funds the government committed to the project.

His Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, in a statement on Saturday, quoted the governor as saying that given the huge cost of executing the project, the state government was open to partnership with the Federal Government and oil companies but insisted that his administration will do all within its power to ensure the project was completed with or without collaboration.

He reassured the people of Bayelsa East that his administration will not play politics with the project or any developmental project, stressing that the government was desirous of meeting the needs of the le of the state.

Diri noted that the three senatorial roads were crucial to the development of Bayelsa as they will open up the state for more development

He said: “We are doing this from the consciousness of developing our state. We are not playing politics with this road. The three senatorial roads are important to us as they will open up the state.

“The resources to construct the road are enormous. So, we expect the Federal Government and oil companies to support. But due to the importance of this road, whether they come or not, we are going ahead.”

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Moses Teibowei, an Estate Surveyor and Valuer, stated that work on the road was progressing as expected, saying the sand-filling will get to the adjoining road in a few days.

He explained that dredging was being done from kilometer two where there is a sand dump, assuring that before the end of the year, the entire 21 kilometer of the road would have been sand-filled.