Bayelsa: Pro-democracy group demands change of PDP primary venue

A pro-democracy organisation, Peoples Democratic Party Integrity Group, has called on the national leadership of the PDP to change the venue of its September 13, governorship primary to a neutral ground over fear of insecurity and violence.

The group also alleged that some desperate governorship aspirants on the platform of the party had perfected plans to attack statutory delegates in a bid to disrupt the forthcoming primary of the party that was expected to hold in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

The group in a statement by its Coordinator, Mr. Tony Ile, alleged that the said aspirants had perfected plans to disrupt the PDP primary in the same manner the Ijaw National Congress (INC) election was disrupted by violent youths last month in Yenagoa.

It claimed that the said politicians had boasted openly that their loyalists would harass and chase away delegates in the event their preferred candidate appeared to be losing the election.

The group also raised alarm that if the national leadership of the PDP failed to address the issue, the party might perform abysmally at the governorship election, just as it did during the last national and state assemblies’ elections in the state.

“We are all Bayelsans and members of the same political family that are hoping to benefit from a shared economic prosperity under a PDP-led government come February, 2020.

“It is on this premise that we call on the national leadership of our great party under the leadership of Prince Uche Secondus and all relevant security agencies to as a matter of urgency take a proactive step in nipping such inglorious security threat in the bud.

“This is also evident in the fact that there have been incessant attacks on billboards and posters of certain aspirants seen not to belong to a group among the PDP family. This development has further raised concerns on the personal security of aspirants and their supporters,” the group said.