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Udengs Eradiri, the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the upcoming Bayelsa State governorship election on November 11, has expressed strong disapproval of Bayelsa’s ranking as the second poorest state in Nigeria, following Sokoto State.
Eradiri described this ranking as disgraceful and disastrous, attributing it to the failures of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its gubernatorial candidate, Governor Douye Diri, in addressing the economic and developmental challenges of the state.
Speaking in Yenagoa, Eradiri emphasized that the PDP and Diri had little to campaign on for the upcoming election.
He expressed his bewilderment at the reported high poverty levels in Bayelsa despite the state’s relatively small population and substantial revenue inflows from various sources.
Eradiri pointed to years of mismanagement, incompetence, corruption, wastefulness, and anti-people policies by the PDP as the root causes of Bayelsa’s predicament.
He called on the people to vote for the credible alternative provided by the LP and highlighted his agenda of People, Education, Agriculture, Power, promising a fresh start for the state if elected.
Eradiri questioned the need for Governor Diri and the PDP to seek a second term in light of the recent Multidimensional Poverty Index report of 2022, which revealed alarming poverty levels in the Niger Delta states, including Bayelsa.
He criticized the PDP’s leadership and the current government for misappropriating the state’s resources, leading to poor developmental indices and an alarming 88 percent of the population living in extreme poverty.
He also pointed out that Bayelsa, an oil-rich state, being ranked second poorest after Sokoto, a desert state, should serve as evidence that the PDP has failed the state.
Eradiri urged the people to use the forthcoming election as an opportunity to vote out Diri and his party, stating that they do not have the best interests of the state at heart.
Additionally, he highlighted Bayelsa’s unfortunate ranking as the third worst state in the country’s unemployment index, further indicating the unsuitability of Diri and the PDP for re-election.
