Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has said Nigeria’s political system is gradually moving away from the use of violence, intimidation and force during elections.
Diri said this while addressing members of the City Boy Movement, a socio-political group campaigning for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu, at the organisation’s State Working Committee Retreat in Yenagoa on Tuesday.
The programme brought its state working committee together to discuss strategies for mobilising support at the grassroots, and the governor urged members of the group to work with the established structures of the All Progressives Congress at both the local and national levels.
He said although social media had become an important tool for political mobilisation, successful campaigns still depended heavily on engaging voters directly within their communities.
Diri said the era when politicians relied on firearms and threats to secure electoral advantage should become a thing of the past, adding that knowledge and informed participation should increasingly shape Nigeria’s democracy.
The governor also expressed confidence in the APC’s chances in future elections in Bayelsa.
He pointed to several projects and interventions by the Federal Government as reasons for his support for the Tinubu administration. Among them, he mentioned the approval of the second phase of the Nembe-Brass road project and import waivers granted to the state for its gas turbines.
Diri also called for reforms that would strengthen Nigeria’s federal structure. He said justice, fairness and greater decentralisation remained essential to building a stronger democracy.
According to him, President Tinubu has the political capacity to pursue reforms such as state police and greater control of resources by states.
He therefore advocated continuity in government to allow ongoing reforms to reach completion.
The Bayelsa State APC Chairman, Warman Ogoriba, commended Diri for his leadership and support for the party’s structure.
Ogoriba said the state chapter had adopted a strategy centred on grassroots engagement and the selection of candidates based on competence rather than political confrontation.
Also speaking, the Bayelsa Director of the City Boy Movement, Osomkime Blankson, said the retreat was designed to develop strategies for mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election.
Blankson said the movement based its campaign on what it described as the President’s record in office. He also praised Diri for maintaining stability and pursuing development initiatives in Bayelsa.
The Director-General of the movement, Francis Shoga, similarly praised Tinubu’s economic and social policies.
Shoga expressed confidence that Bayelsa would play an important role in the movement’s plan to mobilise 10 million young Nigerians in support of the President.
