Bayelsa State elders at the weekend lampooned lawmakers at the National Assembly, who abandoned their seats to jump into the state’s governorship race.
Rising from their meeting in Yenagoa, the state capital, the elders insisted that it was unbecoming of newly-inaugurated federal lawmakers to deny their constituencies effective representation following their selfish ambitions to govern the state.
The Chairman of Ijaw Elders Forum (IEF), Chief Bukazi Etete, who read the position of the forum on issues shaping the forthcoming election, said the lawmakers were squandering public funds and wasting legislative opportunities in pursuit of their ambitions.
Members representing the Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Douye Diri and Sagbama-Ekeremor Federal Constituencies, Chief Fred Agbedi, are the two aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the race.
Etete said: “Another cynical trend to be heavily discouraged is the emerging parttern of National Assembly members from the state who were inaugurated barely two months ago jumping immediately into the Governorship race. The preliminary expenses for many of them are apparently funded from the public purse directly or indirectly, at the cost of N30m to N50m each.
“Besides the heavy drain on the public till, such conduct smells of desperation, vaunting ambition, greed and political defrauding of the electorate who were made to believe that the representative were pursuing a legislative agenda for their constituents and were unaware of any hidden or ulterior agenda.
“For an underrepresented state like Bayelsa, the consequence is the double jeopardy of their constituencies being effectively denied representation for at least six months. If our legislators are suddenly dissatisfied with the prestige of their legislative office, they are welcome to resign.
“But where they persist in the indecent ambition, stakeholders of the concerned constituencies may feel justified to initiate constitutional processes to recall them from the National Assembly. A handful of politicians cannot continue to call an entire populace foolish”.
The elders further derided some political actors for engaging in conducts capable of denying the “patient and long-suffering” people the opportunity to exercise their right to freely choose their next governor.
Etete added: “The coming election is particularly important to the Bayelsa People. After 20 years of generally slow and largely uncoordinated development since 1999 across four political administrations, Bayelsans are achingly hungry for the fresh leadership that will unite the state along the path of accelerated sustainable development, social cohesion and the enlightened advancement of their fundamental interest.
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“That prospect might be dashed if the alarming signals from some prominent political gladiators are not averted. Already, the political picture of the state over the last year to date is painted in violent and undemocratic colours.
“Any attempt to compound this already frightening setting may inflame and throw Bayelsa State into undeserving chaos. It can grossly worsen the hunger, poverty, massive unemployment and lack of organized economy that have wracked the young state for much of its existence.
“Most regrettably, the atmosphere in the state has been further charged lately by rampant reports about dangerously undemocratic manouvres within the ruling and opposition parities in the state that cannot be ignored by responsible citizens government authorities national leaderships of parties and other stakeholders concerned with preventing or reducing political disaster risks.
“The apparent threats include reports about the looming unilateral imposition of governorship candidates to protect narrow personal interests within the major political parties, through the illicit use of public funds and patronage overwhelming personal influence and official intimidation.
“These tendencies and their perpetrators are inimical to the wellbeing of the State, as they can create an explosive whirlwind. Generally, the continuing culture of applying public funds and facilities for partisan political purpose is utterly condemnable. Political and electoral money laundering at the expense of our impoverished populace must be brought to an end”.