Environmentalist Morris Alagoa, who led the presidential campaign of Labour Party’s Peter Obi in Bayelsa state, says he has not joined the Peoples Democratic Party as reported, but will not support the LP in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Mr Alagoa told Pluboard he was not a member of the Labour Party when he worked for Mr Obi during the last presidential election, and that he now supports incumbent Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa for the next governorship election in the state.
Mr Alagoa said he made the decision considering what Mr Diri has achieved, and that Mr Obi encouraged Nigerians to support credible individuals and not parties during elections.
But he said he did not rule out becoming a PDP member in future.
“As of today, I am not a member of the PDP. To become a member, I need to get a form, fill the form to be registered. If as I go on supporting the governor, I need to become a member, nothing would stop me from doing so,” he told Pluboard on phone.
“I heard some people were telling me welcome back home, and I wondered whether someone got a form and registered me as a member before now, or I unconsciously registered as a member, because I know that I did not consciously do so,” he added.
Not defecting
Several media reports said Mr Alagoa, known for his campaign against environmental pollution in the Niger Delta by major oil companies, had defected to the PDP.
The News Agency of Nigeria said he made the announcement on Thursday in the state capital Yenagoa.
“I decided to support the incumbent governor because he is the best among the major contenders,” the outlet quoted him as saying.
“I was not a member of the Labour Party before they appointed me the state coordinator and that job had been completed since, so life goes on.
“I was with Gov. Douye Diri yesterday and looking at the candidates that are available, I believe he is the one that we need to support.
“This is because when anybody comes in now, what they will tell us is that they meet an empty treasury. Therefore, this one that is already working with development partners and other stakeholders should be allowed to continue.
“Diri has done a lot of things that are not in the public domain. I think he is trying, so we have to support him to continue,” he said.
He confirmed the same position to Pluboard but insisted he supported the governor as a person as the more credible candidate.
The Bayelsa Governorship Election is slated for Nov. 11.
Discover more from Pluboard
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.