Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A political ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Claudius Enegesi, has tasked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on providing a level-playing ground ahead of the primary election to pick candidates for the 2019 National Assembly election.
Enegesi, a former speaker of old Rivers state and former deputy national treasurer of the PDP in an interview immediately after his screening for the Ogbia Federal Constituency seat by the national screening committee at the PDP state secretariat in Yenagoa over the weekend advised the party leadership to resist the temptation to impose candidates as it could spell doom for the party.
While expressing satisfaction with the conduct of the screening exercise, he said Ogbia Federal constituency, Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta region require experienced hands to speak for the region and attract the needed development to the region.
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Enegesi who is also the pioneer Chairman of the PDP in Bayelsa State and a three time Commissioner in three different appealed to the national leadership of the party to ensure that delegates are allowed to pick their choice without any form of imposition to guarantee victory for the party in the 2019 elections.
He declared that his main preoccupation at the National Assembly would be to advocate for remediation of the environment of the Ogbia Federal constituency which has been despoil by oil exploration activities.
“I have seen the devastation that oil has caused our land and up until now, this country has not given our people their full due even after bearing the brunt of environmental devastation due to oil exploration and exploitation.
“My focus when presenting bills would be on how to leverage and ameliorate the plight of my people.
“I have the voice and I will cry out over the level of devastation currently going on in this area. The chances of PDP are very bright with me.
“I am a former legislator who represented Ogbia constituency 1 in Old Rivers State House of Assembly under the National Republican Convention (NRC) where my colleagues found me worthy to become the Speaker.
“After the creation of Bayelsa, I became the pioneer chairman of the PDP here and I saw to it that PDP was entrenched and it has been ruling the state since then.
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“But I want to plead with the notational secretariat to give every aspirant in all the local government areas a level playing ground so that the best can emerged to represent the party.
“If we tend to play God and the right candidates are not given chance it would not go well. Every day the electorate is becoming conscious and more developed politically.
“Allow the delegates to do what is right; if you mock them the consequences are very clear. I have served this party at very high level; I have paid my dues, short of paying the ultimate price for the development of the party in this state.
“They should allow the delegates to do what is right.”