The Labour Party has vowed to protest Governor Douye Diri’s alleged outright refusal to conduct local government elections, withholding funds to conduct the polls.

The factional Labour Party chair Lamidi Apapa said this in a statement in Abuja.

Mr Apapa urged the Bayelsa State Independent Electoral Commission (BYSIEC) to do the needful.

“If BYSIEC fails to issue a notice to commence the process of local government elections before month end, the party will resort to civil actions aimed at pressuring the governor to do the needful,” stated Mr Apapa.

He added, “The civil action would be peaceful, but resolute, in our pursuit of electoral justice and democratic representation for the people of Bayelsa state.”

Mr Apapa stressed that the Bayelsa electorate, “particularly those at the grassroots, deserve elected officials who can effectively advocate their needs and drive development initiatives.”

The Labour Party factional leader expressed concern that “funds intended for local governments in Bayelsa state are being withheld by the state government, instead of being allocated to democratically elected local government officials.”

“We view the development as a deliberate neglect of the local area, contradicting the governor’s claims of pursuing a prosperous administration,” Mr Apapa stated.

According to Mr Apapa, the Labour Party strongly condemned using civil servants to control local government affairs, saying the approach is backward.

He said the delay in conducting the local council election might be driven by the governor’s political agenda, contrary to his earlier statements of prioritising the people’s development over political manoeuvres.

Mr Apapa added that the Labour Party’s attention had also been drawn to the slow progress of the ongoing case in the Sagbama Division of the Bayelsa State High Court, Yenagoa, aimed at compelling the governor to conduct the LG elections.

Mr Apapa also expressed concerns about alleged potential interference with the judicial process. He urged the governor to respect the independence of the judiciary, which played a crucial role in his assumption of office.

(NAN)