Agbedi faults governorship ‘zoning’ claims in Bayelsa
Fred Agbedi, a governorship aspirant on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted claims in some quarters that the governorship position in Bayelsa State has been zoned.
Agbedi, who spoke in Yenagoa while consulting with his former colleagues in the state leadership of the party who are super delegates ahead the governorship primary election on September 3, stressed that stakeholders in the state did not sit down at any time to discuss zoning.
The issue of zoning has been topical in discussions of the governorship election with some politicians saying the position has been zoned to Bayelsa Central Senatorial District while others maintain it is up for grabs.
But, Agbedi, a two-term member of the House of Representatives who has held several positions in the party, including state chairman, maintained that zoning has never been used to determine the emergence of party candidates in the past.
According to him, aspirants and candidates from
all over the state had always contested party primaries and general election and that for now, four local government areas have produced governors remaining four local government areas.
“Leave it to the remaining LGAS,” he said, arguing that Ekeremor, Nembe, Yenagoa and Kolokuma/opokuma Local Government Areas that are yet to produce governors should be allowed to contest the 2019 governorship election in the state.
Agbedi also assured that if elected governor, he would empower the people as a way of developing local content for them to compete with others as projects would be driven by Bayelsans.
He promised to make Brass LNG and Brass Fertilizer Plant realities to create jobs and improve internally generated revenue while assuring that he would encourage wealthy Bayelsans to invest up to N3.0 billion in the Agge Deep Seaport project to encourage international investors.
Agbedi assured that he would give attention to vocational education to create alternative sources of income for the people, encourage and fund research for innovations on use of local raw materials and ensure power generation.
In the area of oil and gas, he told the ad-hoc delegates that he would ensure the building of a refinery for crude oil produced from the oil bloc owned by the Bayelsa Oil Company, saying it would be more beneficial to the state.
Another resource he promised to develop is oil palm, wondering why so much attention was being paid to crude oil which costs about $60 per barrel rather than palm oil that costs $572 per barrel.
According to him, he would also give attention to sports development as an alternative way of employing the youth, while asserting that he remains the right candidate of the PDP for the November 16 governorship election in the state.