By NATHAN NWAKAMMA

Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa State says he will not compel his deputy, Sen. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, to join him in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Diri formally joined the APC on Nov 3 without his deputy, fuelling speculations that Ewhrudjakpo has been penciled down for impeachment by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly majority of who followed Diri to APC.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deputy governor subsequently approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the Bayelsa Assembly from the plot to impeach him for choosing to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Diri resigned from PDP on Oct. 15 citing obvious reasons for his decision but his deputy did not join him in the new party.

The governor made the assertion during the weekly state executive council meeting in the Government House, Yenagoa, on Wednesday with Ewhrudjakpo also present.

According to him, as a matter of principle, I believe in engagement rather than confrontation; I will continue to discuss with my deputy.

While admitting that it is difficult for both of them to be in different political parties, Diri expressed the optimism that ongoing engagements with his deputy would yield positive results.

He disclosed that the case filed by Ewhrudjakpo at a Federal High Court in Abuja to halt a purported impeachment plan had been discontinued after they discussed it.

He urged the people of the state to love one another and see politics as a means to bring development and not to pull others down.

“I express our gratitude to the people of our state for the successful and well attended thanksgiving day service. The spirit of oneness and love is what we should keep exhibiting.

“I would also like to thank the people for the mammoth crowd at the sports complex during our defection.

“I appreciate the leader of our party, President Bola Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shettima. I pledge our loyalty to continue to work for a better Nigeria, for the upliftment of the standard of living of our people.

“Let me address an issue that had been a subject of speculation in the media. I do not intend to force people to join the APC but rather to appeal to them to see reason with me. I might have the power today but not tomorrow.

“It is actually difficult for the governor to be on one side and the deputy on another. But we will continue to talk and we might end up in the same party tomorrow.

“We must not heat up the polity. We are done with violence in Bayelsa State. We are brothers and we are one. Politics should be for the development of the state and not to fight one another.” Diri said.

On the rumour of the arrival in the state of armed men from a part of the country, the governor dispelled it as fake news.

He however, assured that security agencies had been put on notice to check any threat in any part of the state.

He reaffirmed Bayelsa as one of the most secured states in the country and urged the people to go about their businesses and report security issues to relevant agencies rather than rushing to post falsehoods on social media.

At the meeting, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, presented to the governor the recognition of Bayelsa as the “Best State in Health Insurance Service Delivery” by the Nigeria Governors Forum.

His counterpart in the Ministry of Sports, Dr. Daniel Igali, also presented a “Distinguished Governor Award for Outstanding Support to SWAN and Contribution to Sports Development In Nigeria” from the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria. (NAN)