Hoodlums attack ex-Bayelsa Speaker, Diri’s aide

 

Hoodlums, suspected to be hired thugs, on Friday, attacked a one-time Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Boyelayfa Debekeme, and Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour and Productivity, Famous Daunimughan.

Debekeme and Daunimughan were attacked over their decision to attend political stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the zoning arrangement for the Bayelsa-West Senatorial District of the state.

It was gathered that the suspected hoodlums might have been hired to disrupt attendance at the meeting of the political leaders and scare away the members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The attack, which was condemned by the elders and youths of Ekeremor Local Government Area, however, did not stop the gathering of the political leaders and elders from Ekeremor, one of the local governments that make up the Bayelsa West Senatorial district.

The political leaders warned the immediate former Governor of the state, Senator Seriake Dickson and others against showing disrespect for the existing zoning principle being used by the Sagbama/Ekeremor areas to elect those to represent them at the National Assembly.

The political leaders from Ekeremor, comprising PDP members, cautioned that any politician who wished to contest for the two seats of the National Assembly should respect zoning.

Some of the leaders at the meeting were the member of the House of Representatives representing Ekeremor/Sagbama federal constituency, Chief Fred Agbedi, a one-time Commissioner for Special Duties, Fedude Zimughan, Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chief Thompson Amule and member of the State House of Assembly representing Ekeremor 1 Constituency, Hon Tare Porri, among others,

Fedude Zimughan, a lawyer, who read the communiqué under the umbrella of Ekeremor Local Government Elders’ Forum, noted that the zoning arrangement between Ekeremor and Sagbama people is a family arrangement and nobody should scuttle it.The communiqué said the zoning arrangement had been mutually beneficial to the two councils no matter how highly placed and the calibre of politicians involved.

It said no reasonable and patriotic citizens from the zone would do anything ungodly to cause disunity between the two LGAs with a view to truncating the zoning.

The communiqué read in part: “The political leaders, however, express appreciation to Governor Douye Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, for standing on zoning in 2020 senatorial by-election in Bayelsa West and appeal to them to assist in consolidating it.

“Those interested in contesting for any of the National Assembly seats should confine themselves to complying with the existing zoning arrangement, that is, House of Representatives for Sagbama and the Senate seat for Ekeremor.”