By Davies Iheamnachor

PORT HARCOURT: The Labour Party Governorship (LP) Candidate in the 2023 election in Bayelsa State, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has tasked the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri and his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson, to quickly move to the state and the Ijaw nation the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Eradiri in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday, urged the governor of the Bayelsa state, Diri and Dickinson, who is Representing Bayelsa West Senetorial District at the Senate, that it was the right time to align with the ruling party in order to attract more development to the state.

Eradiri, who is a Fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineering (NSE), said Bayelsa would experience political alienation if the leaders refused to evolve with the political reality.

He former President of the Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, particularly tasked Diri and Dickson to resolve quick to join the APC to create the needed opportunity for the Ijaw to play crucial roles in the corridors of power, noting that taking such political decision would attract more infrastructural and manpower development.

He maintained that the Ijaw would gain nothing by being in opposition to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, claiming that moving Ijaw to APC would be for the overall interest of the nation.

A former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa said: “The time for political realignment for the ijaw Nation is now. The current political equation in Nigeria presently will alienate the ijaw race if we don’t restrategise immediately and take a decision to join the ruling party.

“I am calling on Senator Seriake Dickson and Governor Douye Diri to join the APC now to guarantee the Ijaw Nation a place in decision-making at the centre.

“This is no longer the time for bravado. There is nothing or no point in proving to be in opposition to President Tinubu’s government, as it will only alienate Ijaws politically.

“Our fathers had always aligned with the centre and Ijaws, no matter how bad, had always had some say in government. But today we have no voice inthe APC-led federal government.

“Dickson, being a former governor and now senator, and Douye Diri, a former senator and now governor, will give the Ijaws a voice at the national government if they heed this clarion call and move to the APC.

“I, however, call on them to jettison every personal interest and other selfish sentiments and take this step, which I believe will be for the overall interest of the Ijaw nation.”