Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State, a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Douye Diri, ‘General’ Charles Kurobo, has dumped the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state for All Progressives Congress (APC) which fields former Governor Timipre Sylva as its gubernatorial candidate.
Kurobo, who also doubled as the chairman of the Bayelsa chapter of the Niger Delta Ex-Agitators’ Leadership Forum, First Phase, said his decision to join the APC to deliver Sylva in next month’s election was the growing hunger which the Governor Diri-led administration has inflicted on Bayelsans.
While describing his defection to APC as “home coming”, the former SSA noted that an APC-led administration under the leadership of Sylva would turnaround the misfortune of hunger which the PDP government has caused.
He said he has no choice to come out with the truth and clear his image as family members dependants and acquaintance who depends on him has lost faith in him because he can no longer afford to take care of my responsibilities, despite working with the Diri prosperity government.
“My position as a serving SSA to the Governor on special duties, is supposed to have a positive impact on the lives of those around me especially my immediate family but unfortunately, recharging my phone for effective communication would have been a great challenge if not for the timely intervention of other Critical stakeholders from our Niger Delta region.
“It is such a pity that with the level of hunger and starvation deliberately created by His Excellency the Governor, Senator Douye Diri, the administration still muster courage to garner the kind of support I see and perceive from some Bayelsans!
“Does it mean we have not learnt enough? Or are we yet to understand that we will be heading into another four years of real hardship which will be worse than what we are currently experiencing or even more? Where is our scenes of pride?.
“We have never been a myopic set of people, will never be and should not be seen as such and that is why I want Bayelsa State and it’s people to know that the way to go is not Senator Diri’s direction.
“If we must survive and develop ourselves to survive and succeed as a people. We may have made mistakes with choices in the past but that’s normal because we are humans and our ability to learn from the past mistakes helps us redirect our present and guide us to determine our future and the prospective development of our State and it’s people.”
“I don’t want anyone to begin to wonder why I will come out to openly challenge and criticize an administration that I am seen to be a part of because I will obviously be seen as not being favored, Yes, I admit and to such blunt fact that all those bearing political appointees under the Douye Diri led government of Bayelsa, from the SA’s, Technical SA’s, to the SSA‘s like myself are just bearing such titles for the fun of it because there’s nothing to show for it. No one of us is being favored and we are all just dying in silence.”
The ex-militant leader challenged any appointee, who will be bold and Courageous enough to come out to prove him wrong, that apart from the monthly token offered to appointees under Diri admiration, which is less than what some Keke Napep drivers make in a month; that their lives are better or worse
He also challenged any individual who is not directly related to Governor Diri, whose live has been transformed as a result of any human capital development initiative of Governor Diri to come out and counter him with prove of his or her improved lifestyle since 2020.
He said, “I sometimes imagine, if it weren’t for the opportunity given me by our Niger Delta Critical stakeholders, where would I have been? What would have been the condition and state of my immediate family? Would my children have been able to go to school?
“Would I have been able to look at my wife and have her proudly address me as her husband, an SSA to the governor yet can’t afford to provide basic needs for his family’s upkeep?
“I imagine the state of those who are not as privileged as I am and how they are managing with their families to survive as Political Appointees. Well, I give thanks to GOD Almighty for the low crime rate in the state because it could have been terrible.”
“It is like there’s no government in place under Douye Diri. Bayelsa has suddenly become an unkept garden under the current administration and I say this authoritatively as an SSA to the governor on Special Duties, Bayelsa state Government, that the worst we’ve seen, since the creation of Bayelsa State is what is staring directly back at us today.
Calling on Bayelsans to join the Sylva/MacIver campaign, he said the people must align with a system that will create a program to meet the needs of the people will be seen as major stakeholders in development of the state.
He said Bayelsans support for the Sylva/Miciver mandate should not be seen as a regular election but a political revolution to define good through the ballot, help advance equity and justice and empower men, women from all works of life in developing the state.
Gen. Kurobo called on the people of the state with voting age to, as a matter of necessity ensure that they collect their PVCs and get PDP led by Diri out by November 11.
He said, “On behalf of my family, the APC leadership from the least unit of the state to the hierarchy, I enjoined all of us from all works of life to rise to the occasion and take up the challenge to the effect that Chief Timipre Sylva returns elected come November 11 2023.
