Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, yesterday took the oaths of office for a second term in office.
The colourful ceremony, which held at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa, the state capital, attracted dignitaries from across the country and beyond.
The governor’s wives – Mrs. Gloria Diri, Justice Patience Ama Zoufa-Diri – were on hand to add more colours to the ceremony.
Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan; Vice Presidents of Nigeria and Liberia, Senator Kashim Shettima and Jeremiah Kpan Koung, attended the ceremony.
House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, were also there.
Governors at the ceremony included Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umar Bago (Niger), Umar Fintiri (Adamawa), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Caleb Muftwang (Plateau), and Seye Makinde (Oyo), chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) AbdulRahman AbdulRazak (Kwara), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Peter Mbah (Enugu), and Alex Otti (Abia).
Others included former Governors Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), former Senate President Bukola Saraki (Kwara), and Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta).
Senators Ben Murray-Bruce and James Manager, Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shuaibu, former Bayelsa State deputy governor and chairman of the Bayelsa Elders’ Council, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (retd.), former Military Administrator of Bayelsa State, Lt.-Col. Paul Edor Obi (retd.), two former PDP National Chairmen – Prince Uche Secondus and Dr. Iyiorcha Ayu, also attended the ceremony.
Others at the event included the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the 2019 pll, Chief David Lyon; former Secretaries to the Bayelsa State Government (SSGs), Ambassador Felix Oboro and Chief Serena Dokubo Spiff; President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba; and one of his predecessors, Chief Joshua Fumudoh.
Royal fathers included the Chairman of the Bayelsa Traditional Rulers Council and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo; Amanyanabo of Twon Brass and former governor of the old Rivers State, King Alfred Diete Spiff; and King Francis Tabai of Tuomo Kingdom in Delta State.
The arrival of Governor Diri and his deputy was greeted with jubilation by the crowd.
The oath of office and oath of allegiance were administered on Diri and Ewhrujadkpo by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Matilda Ayemieye-Abrakasa.
In his inaugural speech, titled: Bayelsa: We Are Better Together, Diri said: “In our first term in office, we made a solemn promise to pursue a path of love, reconciliation, unity, peace and security because we understand it best serves our quest to ensure prosperity for all Bayelsans.
“As we embark on this second term, let me earnestly assure you that our commitment to the progress and advancement of Bayelsa remains steadfast. Your unwavering support and faith in our vision for a better Bayelsa fuels our determination to continue working tirelessly for our collective welfare and development.
“Whereas we achieved remarkable milestones in various sectors during our first term, we also recognise that there is still more to be done. Indeed, we can say with humility that in the last four years, we did not merely count the years; we have made the years to truly count.”
Also, PDP governors yesterday congratulated Diri on the take-off of his second term in office.
A statement by the Director General of PDP Governors’ Forum, C. I. D. Maduabum, said the forum’s chairman and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed recalled that the Bayelsa governor recorded a resounding victory in last November 11 re-election.
“The feat is the Bayelsa people’s testimonial of your prosperity administration’s good governance in the past four years in various sectors.
“The victory is also a request for continuity of more impactful developments in the state to further improve their lives,” he said.
Also, a governorship aspirant in Bayelsa State in last year’s election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Festus Daumiebi, has urged Diri to ensure citizens’ participation across the political divides to build a better state and achieve accelerated development.
In a statement yesterday, Daumiebi congratulated the governor and his deputy for their second term in office.
“You have risen above the pedestrian and erect yourself as a statesman when you combine politics with a peaceful, humane, and all-embracing heart to the admiration of all Bayelsans,” he said.
