Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

A group, the Campaign for Development and Democracy in Bayelsa (CDDB), has thrown its weight behind a political associate of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Rueben Okoya, in his quest to run for the Bayelsa State governorship election.

Okoya, a  former Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), had thrown his hat into the governorship ring, in 2015, but was prevailed upon to drop his ambition by the former president to support Governor Henry Seriake Dickson for a second term.

Governor Dickson had recently told Bayelsans that the Bayelsa governorship seat was in God’s hands, adding that at the right time, God would provide the leadership that would take over from him.

The CDDB, a non-governmental organization, coordinated by a former Press secretary to Jonathan, Dr. Ekiyor Welson, in a press statement to celebrate Nigeria’s democracy, said it had begun countdown for the Bayelsa governorship.

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According to him, the final push involves Bayelsans to vote their preferred leader in the 2019 governorship polls as part of efforts to deepen democracy through the mobilisation of the people for active participation in the electoral process to elect leaders of their choice.

“The countdown will take the form of sensitisation, mobilisation and education of the people on the precepts of participatory democracy, freedom and liberty, development and accountability.

“Also, town hall meetings, rallies, seminars, conferences in addition to radio, television and outdoor publicity campaigns will all be employed to make the choice of the people count.

“Mr. Okoya was arrived at from a pool of three other people who sent in their curriculum vitae for scrutiny and vetting, a process that took four months to conclude”, it explained.

“All political parties in the state should adopt Okoya as their candidate, if they wish to win the next governorship election as it is obvious that he has the complete and unalloyed support of the people of Bayelsa”.