Bayelsa poll: I’ll demystify money politics, says LP candidate

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Bayelsa, Engr Udengs Eradiri has said that the growing grassroots support for his campaigns will demystify money politics in the November 11 poll.

Eradiri spoke on Friday during his campaign tour with stakeholders and supporters of the LP to Nembe City, Opu Nembe and Otakeme communities in Nembe and Ogbia local government areas respectively.

Eradiri, who was overwhelmed by the crowd that voluntarily trooped out to receive him, said he was aspiring to become a people-oriented leader who would provide mentorship to young people and reposition the state for greatness.

Eradiri lamented the crisis that had befallen Nembe, sympathised with them and assured them that if elected his administration would focus on the development of the area and stop all forms of politically-induced unrest.

He noted that he was in the race to rescue Bayelsa, and develop all communities insisting that the state was suffering from bad leadership and clueless government.

Eradiri said:  “We are the second poorest state, and with the highest school dropout rate in the whole of the country, which is very sad. I am moving across all the communities of our state selling my manifestoes.

“I will change the old order of doing things. I will not clap my hands for myself for building roads, infrastructural development and other social amenities which ordinarily are the rights of the people. Together we will make Bayelsa work again.

“If we don’t tell ourselves the truth we will be left behind, most states have gone far while we are on retrogression.

I have the solution to the problems of the people, and I have a stronger message than any other party flag bearer. Let us make a choice that we won’t regret tomorrow”

At Otakeme community, Eradiri promised to generate employment for the youths and lamented the death of over 10 Bayelsa-owned establishments.

He said: “So how will you create jobs when these companies belonging to us are dead? The government must support the people to prosper and not to underdevelop them.

“I will engage the cult groups in agriculture, just imagine that all the fresh peppers are supplied by the Icelanders cult group, and the tomatoes by Greenlanders.

“Bayelsa has Sampou and Peremabiri rice farms, but after 40 years no grain has been produced, So I would rather invest in the Otuokpoti rice farm because the people in that community are original rice growers. If we invest in Otuokpoti we will succeed”.

Eradiri asked the people to collect money from moneybags on election day and vote for him insisting that voters must avoid making a wrong choice at the poll.

He said: “On election day collect their money and vote for me. I will create jobs for the people. Your wrong choices in the past have kept your children where they are presently “.

He said with the 243 megawatts of power at Gbarain, a 24-hour power supply was possible in Bayelsa.

He added: “I will design the Nembe creek as an industrial area, pipe gas to the area and advertise it. We will have companies from abroad that will come to invest.

“In this election no matter how rich they are, I’m in the race because I know what we will achieve. The current government is playing politics with the development of the state. How can you claim you are constructing roads from Nembe to Brass when the roads in Yenagoa are terrible?

“A few days before the election, people will sit down and look at critical issues that make up leadership. It will be real issues about the development and growth of the state.

“Travelling through the creeks, you can see the high number of unemployed youths. No teachers in our primary school, and some of the roofs are leaking and that is what I want to correct. They have created a barrier that if you are not connected you can’t make it in life, I will break that barrier with your support”.