Bayelsa Governor is Not Fighting His Deputy and Ex-Governor

Bayelsa State, the glory of all lands, has been a place of rumour-mongering for a while now. Specifically, since Douye Diri took up the mantle of governorship, a wave of gossip became the order of the day within the quarters of administration. Recently, this wave has been directed at the deputy governor of the state, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, apparently intending to leave a gap in the latter’s relationship with Diri. But Diri has renounced all such gossip, chalking it up to slander, and emphasising that he is in a happy, healthy relationship with his deputy.

For those in the dark regarding the content of the report, a group came up to query Ewhrudjakpo’s loyalty to Diri, warning the latter to be more cautious around his deputy as Ewhrudjakpo was likely to betray him (Diri) one of these days. However, Diri was quick to intervene and douse the flames of the report.

According to the governor, Ewhrudjakpo is loyal to him now more than ever, as theirs is a progressive partnership. Moreover, regarding the inclusion of Diri’s predecessor, Seriake Dickson, in the list of ‘et tu Brutus scenarios waiting to happen, Diri was just as steadfast in affirming the loyalty and genuineness of the aforementioned people.

So, it is refreshing to see Diri at his best, defending his deputy and predecessor where he never defended his reputation. The man is indeed a study of contrasts and can throw knots into the calculations of his detractors. As he just did.