Nicholas Ogunde, Yenagoa
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Coalition in Bayelsa State have urged party leaders to observe due diligence in screening candidates ahead of the Bayelsa Central and Bayelsa West Senatorial elections.
The seats became vacant after Douye Diri and Lawrence Erwhudjakpor became governor and deputy governor. Diri represented Bayelsa Central while Ewhudjakpor represented Bayelsa West.
The youths said the admonishment became imperative to avoid a repeat of happenings during the governorship poll which caused the party’s loss.
A statement by the group coordinator, Kemesuode Ayoro, insisted that getting the selection process right would forestall litigations and judgments that are antithetical to the people’s wishes. He reiterated that the party failed to deploy consensus and thorough internal screening mechanism before fielding candidates which caused it to lose the governorship.
The statement reads: “The APC leadership should retrace its steps by selecting candidates with proven records and wide acceptability devoid of favouritism. The party still has the people’s support to clinch the Bayelsa Central and Bayelsa West senatorial seats.
“We are looking forward to a process that will build confidence by giving equal opportunity to aspirants. The process should be transparent enough to accommodate professionals and people with robust support base.”
A coalition of support groups has supported former Deputy Governor Peremowei Ebebi for the Bayelsa West senatorial seat.
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Although a date is yet to be announced for the election, the race has begun with former Governor Seriake Dickson having shown interest.
The coalition endorsed Ebebi at a news conference in Yenagoa yesterday. They said they were suppor Ebebi due to his record as former Speaker of the House of Assembly and as a deputy governor.
Led by Zerubebel Daniel, the coalition said there was no better person than Ebebi for the seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The group lamented the suffering during the Seriake Dickson administration, saying it would be another form of slavery if Dickson became a senator.
It called on the people of Bayelsa-West to jettison party affiliations and reject the PDP like they did during the governorship. The coalition also called on the APC to consider Ebebi for the Senate ticket, describing him as the man with the clout and pedigree to defeat Dickson even in his home town.
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