Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has reabsorbed cabinet members and other appointees, who earlier resigned and later stepped down for a consensus aspirant during the recently conducted primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Diri made the announcement on Wednesday, at the 76th State Executive Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa.
The governor, who commended the peaceful conduct of the aspirants during the exercise, noted that it was great to hear that most of them put the interest of the party above their personal ambitions by stepping down when they needed to do so.
According to him: “Let me use the opportunity to appreciate most of the aspirants, who we spoke to, some of them even on the day of the primaries, while some on the eve of the primaries and for very obvious reasons and respect for the party and the government, stepped down for others.
“For all those who had political appointments who stepped down and did not participate and contest in the primaries, their appointments are hereby restored.
“Therefore, the acting Chief of Staff is directed to ensure that all of those people are restored to their appointive positions.
“That is what we keep saying, sacrifices have to be done and once you do sacrifice, the system will also recognise you.
“Going forward, I’m very glad and I’m sure that we are prepared for 2023. We are putting our house in order and we will continue to put it in order where there are dissent and disagreements.
“I congratulate those who are flag bearers, who are candidates of our party and also those who lost as good sportsmen and very gallant in what they believed in and be sure that we win and continue to click as one party. Let the party take precedent over our personal ambitions and the party will always recognise those who have contributed and sacrificed for the party.
“I keep saying that this is an internal family affair, from this primaries, there is no winner or vanquished, we are all winners, our party is the winner.
“So, while I congratulate you for emerging as our candidates from the senatorial to the House of Representatives to the state House of Assembly, I urge you to immediately reach out to those who could not make it. Let me congratulate all those who did not make it but contested as sportsmen, you’re good sportsmen.”