Against the backdrop of today’s ruling by the Bayelsa State Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja which annulled the election of Douye Diri as Governor and ordered a fresh election within 90 days, members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly have declared their total support for the embattled Governor.

The Governor has in turn asked the State House of Assembly to go ahead with the screening of Commissioner-nominees he sent to them for confirmation.

The lawmakers, who made this declaration today when they paid a solidarity visit to Governor Douye Diri following the controversial ruling of the state’s election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja, declared total support for him and also endorsed his appeal of the tribunal judgement.

Acting Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Daniel Alabrah, in a statement, said that the delegation was led by the Speaker, Abraham Ingobere, and accompanied by the member of the House of Representatives representing Ogbia Federal Constituency, Fred Obua.

Ingobere, who said the House suspended its plenary when they received the news of the judgement, emphasised that the assembly would stand solidly behind the governor, who he described as “a God-fearing leader”, noting that he had proved that he had the interest of Bayelsans at heart.

“Your Excellency, the House is solidly behind you and we believe strongly that it is the Supreme Court that will give the final judgement on what happened today.

“The world is aware of how elections were conducted in a volatile situation and where the opposition party caused crisis that claimed the lives of Bayelsans. But we thank God for averting their plans by giving power to you and we are sure that He will do the same for you again.”

Ingobere stressed that the assembly leadership was not interested in wresting power from the executive and that their only interest was the wellbeing and development of the state.

Receiving the delegation, Governor Douye Diri described the visit as a morale booster that will inspire him to forge ahead with governance undeterred.

The Governor said the tribunal judgement, which had a dissenting ruling by its chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, was not enough to slow the wheel of governance, and thanked the legislators for their show of solidarity.

“It actually encouraged me. It gave me the strength and hope that we have a brighter tomorrow, and that we have an assembly that cares. Let me use this opportunity to call on Bayelsans to be calm as nobody has removed the governor.

“This is the court of first instance and we respect the judiciary. The judiciary is there for the common man and we believe that justice would be done.

“Even this judgement is not unanimous. The chairman of the tribunal said the judgement by the other two Judges was not correct and he has read his own, saying what they did was wrong. He said as far as he was concerned, the governor remained validly elected.”

While expressing confidence in God to complete what his administration had started, Diri noted that although the legal fireworks had not ended, he is confident that it would end in his favour.

The governor urged the assembly to go ahead with the screening of his commissioner-nominees, saying he would swear them in after the exercise.

“I hear you are having some august visitors on Tuesday, August 18. Go ahead and perform your legislative duties by screening them, and I will swear them in as commissioners. The state is already in motion and we are not going back,” he said.