Bayelsa stakeholders vow to resist candidates’ imposition Stakeholders from the Bayelsa-West Senatorial District have vowed to resist the alleged Bayelsa State Government plan to anoint some aspirants to emerge as candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 elections. The over 5,000 stakeholders, who converged on Yenagoa, the state capital, on Tuesday under the aegis of the Bayelsa West Democratic Assembly, said they would no longer allow the government to impose candidates on the district in the forthcoming elections. Rising from their meeting, they said the senatorial seat of the district was not for any unpopular candidate imposed on them by the government. They urged the government to allow them choose their leaders in the spirit of democracy and effective representation. They also throw their weight behind the senatorial aspiration of the Coordinating Secretary, South-South Peoples Assembly, Dr. Ayakeme Whiskey, saying he stands out among other aspirants in the district. Chairman, BWDA, Mr. Victor Augustine, observed that the district had suffered neglect for many years because of serial imposition of candidates on them by the government. While noting that government exists to serve the interest of the people, he wondered why few people in power were fond of deciding the fate of the masses in general elections. He said, “We came together as a result of this particular issue of imposition of candidates. The district has long been suffering on the issue of government imposing candidates on the people and these are candidates who cannot perform. “We have taken a stand to say that enough is enough over this issue of government imposing non-performing candidates on us.” He regretted that after elections, imposed candidates who became victorious, relocated to Abuja and make themselves unreachable by their constituents. Augustine said such persons only showed up in their constituencies again during another election. The BWDA chair said, “We are crying for the whole world to hear us. We have been suffering and we know that this time around God will not allow the wish of the government to prevail against popular wish. “We are mobilising all the 74 communities in the district to come out to stand against imposition. Government must allow the people to vote for their choice. The people must choose their leaders.” He said if the government allowed credible and fair primaries to hold, aspirants supported by the people of the district including Whiskey would clinch the party’s ticket. He asked the government not to underestimate the strength of the stakeholders explaining that their membership cut across the 74 communities that make up the district. Augustine noted that if the government insisted on imposing unpopular candidates on them, members of the group would support better candidates from other opposition parties. He said all the community and youth leaders from the district were behind the campaign against imposition. ift.tt/1wg75ti ift.tt/1qGUBZv [[Boost your social presence with NAIRALIKES nairalikes ]] #nigeria x #nairalikes #vanguardng
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 17:47:10 +0000
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