By Douglas Blessing, Port Harcourt
Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) extraction have warned the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, to beware of a former member of the House of Representatives, Israel Sunny-Goli, who recently claimed to have betrayed his benefactor of many years, Chief Timipre Sylva.
The stakeholders under the auspices of the PDP Alliance for Democracy, said Sunny-Goli’s public declaration of support for Diri’s second term appeared to be a game plan, insisting that the former lawmaker might be acting a script.
The group in a statement in Port Harcourt by its Convener, Arc. Ekiye Akposeye, asked Diri to be careful, adding that the period was too sensitive to have a presumed fifth columnists around him.
But an aide to Sunny-Goli denied all the allegations, insisting his boss remains an asset not a liability in the politics of Bayelsa State
The PDP stakeholders said: ”If we remember well, in 2019 we lost the main elections because of betrayers; we cannot afford to tow that path this time.
“We all know that Hon. Sunny-Goli is like a son to Sylva and practically grew up with him.
“Sylva made him SA Youths as governor; made him Bayelsa State House of Assembly member and House of Representative member, plus a plethora contracts handed out to curry him.Why would anyone think that Sunny-Goli and Sylva are actually at war?
“We urge Diri and members of our great party, the PDP, to eat such people with a long spoon. We do not trust them because we know their antecedents”.
The group said Diri’s continuation in office for another four years would be determined by how he handled the likes of Sunny-Goli, whom they said might be a mole in the PDP.
An aide to Sunny-Goli, who prefers not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, however denied the allegation, insisting that they were merely envious of the political influence his boss could muster.
According to him, ” my principal is a straight-forward person. He also has unmatched pedigree in politics. What the group is afraid of is his political sagacity. Those people are the real political baggage to Diri, not Sunny-Goli.
