Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has offered explanations for his inability to form his second-term cabinet several weeks after his inauguration.

Diri alongside the deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, were sworn in for their second tenure in office on February 14, 2024 by the state Chief Judge, Justice Matilda Ayemieye.

A week after the inauguration, the governor announced the dissolution of the former state executive council at a valedictory session in the Government House, Yenagoa, following the expiration of his first tenure.

He explained that he was being distracted to constitute new state executive council by litigations at the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, challenging his electoral victory.

Diri won reelection on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state, polling 175,196 votes to defeat his main rival, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 110, 108 votes.

But Sylva dragged Diri, the PDP, Ewhrudjakpo and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the tribunal challenging the outcome of the governorship balloting.

The three-member panel chaired by Justice Adekunle Adeleye had on March 15 fixed April 22, 2024 for the adoption of addresses by parties on the state governorship election petition.

It also directed parties involved in the case to file and exchange their processes before the adjourned date.

Speaking in an interview with journalists in Abuja shortly after proceedings, Diri said he wished that the sitting was taking place in Yenagoa instead of Abuja.

The governor, who was personally present to witness the tribunal’s proceedings, claimed that the matter was diverting his focus from appointing commissioners to kick-start his second tenure.

He claimed further that he would have been able to navigate the process of constituting his cabinet and the proceedings of the tribunal if the panel was sitting in the state capital, Yenagoa.

According to him, “this is the hour that I should have used, staying back in Yenagoa, setting up my cabinet and all that, to start my second tenure.

“But as you can see, I’m in Abuja. I wish that the tribunal was sitting in Yenagoa. It could have been easy and easier for me to combine both. But as it is, I’m in Abuja.”

Recall that in his first tenure, Diri appointed his cabinet in August 2020 about six months after his inauguration, and days after the 2019 state governorship election petitions tribunal delivered judgement in his favour.

His list of commissioner-nominees was attached to a letter dated August 12, 2020, which he forwarded to the House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

In his first meeting with the state traditional rulers council earlier on August 7, 2020, the governor had told the monarchs that he did not form his cabinet after his swearing-in ceremony on February 14 because of litigations at the tribunal.

He said, “Since I was sworn in as governor, I have not met with our traditional rulers as a council. So, I’m happy to be here today.

“Now that we have dispensed with most of the litigations, let me inform our royal fathers that I’m ready to constitute my cabinet from next week.”

There are concerns among residents of Bayelsa State that the governor would, like his first tenure, delay forming his second-term cabinet till the current tribunal dispenses with the election petitions seeking to upturn his electoral victory. (Saturday Independent)

Update news