LP Faction Decries Bayelsa Gov’s Continued Withholding of LG Funds

* Flays refusal to conduct council polls

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja 

The Labour Party (LP) has expressed concern over the continued withholding of local government funds by the Bayelsa State Governor, Douyi Diri, and his refusal to conduct elections in the councils as against constitutional provisions.

The party has also threatened a protest against both the state government and the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC) if the commission fails to issue a notice to commence the process of local government elections before July ending.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja Friday, the factional National Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, said the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) was “no longer comfortable with the outright and deliberate refusal of the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to conduct local government elections in the state”. 

According to Arabambi, “The governor cannot deny the importance and significance of the grassroots to the development of the state, as local government areas were created to help establish, nurture, sustain democracy, and democratic political culture, because giving them powers to function effectively stabilizes and strengthens the political system since they are closer to the people.

“The importance of local government in ensuring democratic representation for the people at the grassroots level cannot be overemphasized, and the people of Bayelsa State, particularly those at the grassroots, deserve elected officials who can effectively advocate for their needs and drive development initiatives.”

He said they were concerned that “funds intended for local governments in Bayelsa State are being withheld by the state government, instead of being allocated to democratically elected local government officials”.

Arabambi described the development as a deliberate neglect of the local governments, which he said was in contrast with the governor’s claims of pursuing a prosperous administration.

Furthermore, the party also strongly condemned the deployment of civil servants to administer local government affairs, describing it as “unconventional, unconstitutional and backward approach”.

“We maintain that the delay in conducting local council elections may be driven by the governor’s political agenda, contrary to his earlier statements of prioritizing the people’s development over political manoeuvers,” Arabambi stated.

He said the party’s attention has also been drawn to the action employed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the governor to slow the progress of the ongoing case in Sagbama High Court, Yenagoa, which was aimed at compelling the governor to conduct the elections.

Consequently, the party called on Diri to respect the independence of the judiciary, which he said played a crucial role in his assumption of office.

Arabambi concluded by warning that if the “Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission, BYSIEC, fails to issue a notice to commence the process of local government elections before July ending 2023, the party would resort to a peaceful civil protest aimed at pressuring the governor to do the needful”.

He said the civil action will not only be peaceful, but resolute, in their “pursuit of electoral justice and democratic representation for the people of Bayelsa State”.