CHIEF OTIOTIO COMMENDS GOVERNOR DIRI OVER INCLUSIVE CONGRESS PROCESS

The Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Denis Otiotio, has commended Governor Douye Diri for his approach in ensuring peace, unity and inclusiveness in the party’s ward, local government and state congresses in Bayelsa State.

Chief Otiotio gave the commendation during an interactive session with journalists, attributing the peaceful conduct of the congresses to the governor’s all-inclusive leadership style and calm disposition in managing the party’s affairs in the state.

According to him, the governor appointed coordinators not to impose candidates but to facilitate a transparent and participatory process.

He explained that the coordinators were mandated to convene stakeholders’ meetings in their respective local government areas, where members collectively selected five coordinators for each ward. These ward coordinators, in turn, were to hold further stakeholders’ meetings to identify eligible and suitable candidates for vacant positions.

Chief Otiotio further disclosed that the governor established a dispute resolution mechanism to address grievances arising from the congresses. He said where disagreements could not be resolved at the ward level, local government coordinators would intervene, and if issues persisted, they would be escalated to the state level for resolution by the governor and state coordinators.

Describing the initiative as an internal conflict-resolution framework, the APC Caretaker Chairman urged both longstanding and new members who may feel aggrieved to set aside personal ambitions and embrace the process in the overall interest of the party, particularly as preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.

He also called on all appointed local government coordinators to strictly adhere to their terms of reference by convening critical stakeholders’ meetings, thoroughly deliberating on available positions, and zoning offices based on geographical spread, historical considerations and competence to ensure consensus during the congresses.

Reported By Isaac Eyedoude