Special Adviser to the President on ICT and Digital Innovation, Tokoni Peter Igoin, has made a passionate appeal to Engr. Udengs Eradiri, a former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Igoin’s plea came during a visit to Eradiri’s country home in Azikoro Village, Yenagoa, on Wednesday. The visit was prompted by Eradiri’s recent withdrawal from the Labour Party.
Igoin, whose overture is seen as a strategic move to strengthen the party’s presence in the state, noted that Eradiri’s expertise and influence could be a significant asset to the APC.
Eradiri while announcing his withdrawal from LP said he was shopping for a political platform that could enable him to serve the people and take Bayelsa to the next level.
Igoin, who was accompanied by some of his aides and youths from his Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, told Eradiri that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had shown capacity to turnaround the fortunes of the country.
Highlighting the vision of the President in ICT, he said Tinubu’s bold reforms were yielding positive results and would gradually ease all the pains in the economy.
He said Tinubu placed high premium on youth development and was fond of working with smart, intelligent people with capacity like Eradiri.
He appealed to Eradiri to work with him to support the President, insisting that Tinubu meant well for the country.
Addressing Eradiri, he said: “I am not asking you to join the APC I am rather begging you to join our party to support our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because he has shown the capacity to turn around the country. Our President values and empowers youths and it will be a plus if you join me in APC to support him.”
Igoin said Udengs had demonstrated capacity in various offices he occupied in the past adding that he made a difference as the Secretary-General of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), IYC’s President, commissioners for Youths, later Environment and Special Adviser to former Managing Director, NDDC.
“I need you today, tomorrow and all the time. I have a platform where I need people like you. 2027 is coming and questions will be asked. I am begging you to come and join the APC.”
In his response, Eradiri commended Tinubu for appointing someone from Bayelsa State to hold such a position in his government despite the ICT being dominated by the West.
He said Tinubu’s appointment of Igoin was a clear demonstration of his known leadership style of identifying and working with talents without ethnic and religious bias.
Eradiri said he had been an admirer of Tinubu’s leadership qualities right from the NADECO days adding that the President had continued to break the jinx of governance and to surmount all the challenges in Aso Rock villa with his bold reforms.
He, however, observed that if Tinubu were not surrounded by some selfish politicians, his reforms would have speedily trickled down to the grassroots faster.
He advised Igoin to do his jobs and seek opportunities in his area of employment to help the President actualise his Renewed Hope Agenda.
While pledging to work with Igoin to achieve the mandate of his office, Eradiri said he was still consulting on his next political platform and would consider his request to join the APC.