From: Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Stakeholders in Bayelsa State, on Tuesday, vowed to resist all attempts to impose candidates by political parties in the 2019 elections and the 2020 governorship election.
The stakeholders, in a coalition named Campaign for Development and Democracy in Bayelsa State (CDDB), comprising of notable politicians, civil servants, students, market women, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and other interest groups, said they would mobilise ordinary Bayelsans to reject imposition of candidates.
A university don, Dr. Konrad Welson, who has been coordinating the affairs of CDDB, disclosed that structures had set up in the eight local government areas to agitate for social justice, development and good governance through participatory democracy.
Speaking at a town-hall meeting after the official opening of the Yenagoa secretariat of the CDDB, the group appealed to all the voters in the state to join forces with them to end ‘godfatherism’ in Bayelsa politics.
While insisting that the masses had the power to lead a revolution against the elites, it noted that it is within the power of stakeholders to ensure good governance in the state.
Speaking the event, Chief Prince Abeki, who hails from Yenagoa, blamed the people for neglecting their power and allowing selfish politicians to underdeveloped the state.
According to him moneybags have jeopardized the development of Bayelsa state by deceiving the people through buying of votes and other inducements.
His words “The time has come for the people to say no by choosing their credible and selfless leaders. The move by CDDB to sensitize the people and inaugurate chapters round the state is the foundation for a new Bayelsa. Today we are all out to inaugurate the Yenagoa chapter to start the foundation laying of a new Bayelsa. The people must have a re-think about all that we have lost and how we need to recover all. We have to change the narratives. We have caught the vision and we have the confidence to achieve our dreams.”
Another stakeholder, Mr. Fred Dimieari listed inducements and money politics as major reasons why Bayelsans have mortgaged the future of the state.
He pointed out that the masses should blame themselves for the state of affairs in Bayelsa adding that their actions and inactions led to the collapse of major institutions in Bayelsa and called on them to reverse the trend.
“The message is simply partnering with CDDB because of its mission of revolution in all the sectors of the state. The fault has been identified, the blames have been taken by all and the time to act is now. We have found ourselves in a deep forest, nobody is exempted because we all caused it and we are facing it. There’s hardly any institution of government that is working in the state, and it is time to get our way out’’