A group, Bayelsa Rescue Movement (BRM), has lamented the political marginalisation of Bayelsa East and some parts of Yenagoa Local Government Area.

The group, which noted that Brass, Ogbia and Nembe Local Government Areas, all in Bayelsa East Senatorial District, and Yenagoa Local Government have contributed immensely to the economic development of Bayelsa State, said the Senator Douye Diri-led administration is setting a dangerous precedent with the exclusion of the areas from the governance structure in the state.

BRM, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Hon Kalas Agai Nimitenbofa, has therefore called on Diri to urgently address what has become a disturbing pattern of political exclusion of the people of Bayelsa East Senatorial District and significant sections of Yenagoa Local Government Area from key positions of political influence within the state administration and the leadership structure of the ruling political party.

“This is not a demand for political patronage. It is a demand for fairness, inclusion, equity and a sense of belonging for every Bayelsan. Bayelsa belongs to all of us. No Senatorial District, Local Government Area, community or group of citizens should be made to feel that it has been excluded from the affairs of the state or denied a meaningful place at the table where decisions affecting their future are made,’’ it stated.

BRM, which expressed concerns over the concentration of critical political responsibilities within particular senatorial districts, warned that Bayelsa Government is not the private preserve of any individual, family, political tendency or geographical bloc but a common institution established for the benefit of all citizens.

The group pointed out that when key appointments and political positions continue to cluster around particular areas, and other sections of the state are consistently denied representation in strategic positions, it creates a dangerous perception of exclusion and weakens confidence in the principle of equal citizenship.

BRM, which recalled that Diri’s first tenure was marked by inclusive political arrangements, stated that political imbalance is manifested in the distribution of major political appointments in his second tenure.

The statement reads in part: “Bayelsa must not become a state where some citizens are regarded as “core” and others as “non-core” based on language, geography, political connection or proximity to power. Bayelsa, being the only homogenous Ijaw State, should never under any guise experience this level of pettiness and nepotism in the governance of its affairs. The administration should take urgent steps to address this anomaly, which by all standards sets a dangerous precedent capable of collapsing everything that binds us together as a people and destroying our common identity as people of the Ijaw nation.

“Bayelsa East remains central to the state’s economic life, while Yenagoa is the political and administrative capital. Their contributions to the development, revenue generation, commerce and overall wellbeing of Bayelsa cannot be ignored when political responsibilities are being distributed.

“The BRM therefore calls on Governor Diri to review the existing political arrangement and take deliberate steps to restore fairness and inclusiveness in the composition of government and the political leadership of the state.

“This is not about creating division. It is about preventing division. This is not about demanding that every position be shared according to a rigid formula. It is about ensuring that every part of Bayelsa has a genuine sense of belonging and reasonable access to the processes through which decisions affecting the people are made.

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