Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa and Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki

Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and Bayelsa State new governor, Senator Douye Diri met over the weekend to discuss the way forward for the state shortly after his inauguration as the fifth civilian governor of the oil-rich state.

The Supreme Court had on Thursday in a ruling nullified the election of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Chief David Lyon and Senator Degi Biobarakuma Eremienyo as governor-elect and deputy governor-elect respectively and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw their Certificates of Return and present another fresh one to the party that came second in the governorship election which was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Diri who served as Sports Commissioner when Jonathan was governor between 2005 and 2007 had earlier presented his Certificate of Return to the former president.

Jonathan had been accused of not congratulating Diri after his emergence as PDP candidate because his candidate, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, lost but was quick to receive Lyon and APC leaders when INEC declared him the governor-elect on November 17, 2019.

Sunday Sun investigations revealed that the visit of Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpor to Jonathan was to put to rest speculation about any frosty relationship between them.

Jonathan was said to have been happy with the inauguration of Diri as governor and expressed optimism that he would perform as governor having worked under him.

The former president impressed it on Diri to see himself now as the governor of the whole Bayelsa and work to ensure that he ends all acrimony and bitterness in the state.

According to Jonathan, Diri has the duty to ensure he builds bridges of unity for all Bayelsans in the state.

The former president later gave a glimpse on their discussion in his tweets where he enjoined Diri  to “seize this moment of glory to build bridges of unity by entrenching a culture of love, fairness and justice in our polity.”

He called “on all Bayelsans to be law-abiding, peaceful and embrace this transition in all sincerity and work together towards a united prosperous state.”

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Diri thanked the former president and promised not to disappoint him, the party and Bayelsans as governor of the state.

Sunday Sun gathered that Diri disclosed that he would run an all-inclusive government and  take concrete efforts to initiate reconciliation in the state.

In line with his inaugural speech which preached peace, Diri in his verified twitter handle has appealed to “those out to inflict physical pain on Bayelsans should please put a halt to it as there is no need that we be divided, but instead be strong together and make our state great.”

Meanwhile on the second day of the dusk to dawn curfew over violent protests in the state, security has been beef up in Yenagoa metropolis, especially around government property.

Soldiers have been deployed to major roads in Yenagoa to avoid the breakdown of law and order by protesting members of APC.

At the state secretariat complex, an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) is stationed at the gate while soldiers are also on guard.

Police vans are stationed at the judiciary complex and the PDP secretariat.

Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State governor, Chief David Umahi, yesterday congratulated Diri and Ewhrudjakpor on their emergence and subsequent swearing in on Friday  as governor and deputy governor respectively of Bayelsa State.

Umahi in a statement signed by his Special Assistant (SA) on Media, Mr Francis Nwaeze, described the victory of the PDP candidates at the Supreme Court as divine arrangement to herald a new dawn in Bayelsa State.

The Ebonyi governor urged the new governor and his deputy to use their victory to entrench the democratic ethos and ideals upon which the PDP is  known in the country and beyond.