The Muslim community in Bayelsa has thrown its weight behind the second-term bid of Governor Douye Diri and Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo in the November 11 gubernatorial election.

The community gave the endorsement at a special banquet organised for Muslims by the Bayelsa government to mark the 2023 Eid-el Kabir celebration at the Government House in Yenagoa on Wednesday.

During the ceremony, the chairman of the Council for Islamic Affairs in Bayelsa, Yakubu Otobo, said the Muslim ummah fully supported the governor’s reelection bid due to the numerous verifiable projects his administration had successfully executed in the state.

Mr Otobo, who spoke through vice-chair Usman Galadanchi, listed the projects to include phase two of the New Gateway road, the Nembe-Brass, Sagbama-Ekeremor, and the Yenagoa-Oporoma roads. Others included the Onopa bridge linking the New Yenagoa City, New Judges Quarters, and the state-of-the-art Ernest Ikoli Media Complex.

The Islamic leader noted that Eid-el- Kabir was the most significant sacrificial feast in the Muslim calendar and thanked the state government for always hosting Muslim faithful to mark their various religious festivals.

“Your Excellency, Council appreciates this administration for your love for the Muslim community in Bayelsa state. We will continue to appreciate the Prosperity Administration for creating a peaceful environment for our businesses across the state,” he stated. “We want to also thank you for giving 10 Hajj Seats to the Muslim community. We are not Oliver Twist, but we are asking for more hajj seats come 2024.”

Mr Ewhrudjakpo called on Muslims to see everyone as members of the same human family, irrespective of their religious faith, and make necessary sacrifices to live together in peace and unity in every part of the country.

Mr Ewhrudjakpo stated that the Bayelsa governor and his team would do more for the state when reelected, expressing gratitude to Muslims for their support. He promised that they would be carried along in the forthcoming governorship campaigns.

(NAN)