The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has emphasized that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is bigger than any individual and that its internal challenges can be fixed once members resolve to tackle them. Speaking to journalists at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, the Governor stated that the party’s internal issues must be addressed before it can compete with other parties.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Daniel Alabrah, in a statement, quoted Governor Diri as saying, “For me, we have to look inwards before accusing those outside our party. We have to first fix our internal issues.” Diri emphasized that the party must look inward and fix its internal challenges to be competitive. He added, “It is very easy to point accusing fingers. But the PDP has to sit back and tackle its internal challenges. That is only when we can stand to compete with others.”

Diri stated that the party’s leadership alone cannot discipline those fomenting trouble, but rather, the will to do so resides with the members. He said, “We are all members of the party. The moment we all resolve that we need to fix our party, there cannot be any one person that is bigger than the party.” Diri expressed hope that the inauguration of the zonal caretaker committee was a step forward for the party.

The Governor noted that the newly inaugurated zonal caretaker committee has the mandate of the National Working Committee to look into every issue affecting the party in the South-South. Diri said, “In our zone, which is the only area in the country you have four governors of the party, we have all resolved and are together on this.” He added that the governors of Akwa Ibom and Rivers have sent messages of support, indicating that the zone is united and ready to work with the zonal committee.