Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has denounced as half-hearted the congratulatory message of Chief Ndutimi Alaibe following last Tuesday’s Supreme Court dismissal of his appeal.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the action of Alaibe, who was an aspirant in the September 3, 2019, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary that he won, Diri said the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) went too far in his bid to unseat him.
He spoke publicly for the first time since the apex court ruling while addressing the State Working Committee of the PDP, which paid him a solidarity visit in Government House in Yenagoa.
His acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as describing Alaibe’s statement issued through his Personal Assistant, Enize Ogio, as insulting and totally unacceptable.
Diri noted that in line with the Supreme Court judgement, nobody is bigger than the party, including himself.
He wondered why an internal process like the primary election, which was transparent and guided by the party’s constitution, was dragged to court.
According to him, “It was an internal party affair, which ordinarily should not have gone beyond the shores of our state.
“We had a very transparent process, which was acknowledged across the country. From the nomination of delegates down to the primaries, everything was done according to the constitution of our party.
“I hereby reject that insulting message from one Enize Ogio. I hereby reject it in its totality, and the PDP rejects it too.
“If they accept our olive branch, they should issue a new statement to let the PDP and the government of Bayelsa State know that they are still members of our party.”
Diri congratulated his party for being the vehicle for his emergence as the governor.
The governor said: “When God is involved, nobody can contend with Him because He is the only one that gives power. At the end of the legal battles, PDP was vindicated.
“We thank God and those who stood by us. We thank the national chairman and the National Working Committee of the party, who stood firmly by the party and our government and our mandate from the high court, the appeal court to the Supreme Court.”
