Stakeholders Raise Concerns Over Bayelsa Guber Zoning

Stakeholders in Bayelsa State have expressed concern over growing discussions surrounding the zoning of the governorship seat ahead of the 2027 election, with former president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, warning against comments capable of creating political tension in the state.

Eradiri, a former governorship candidate and ex-commissioner in Bayelsa State, cautioned Governor Douye Diri against making statements that could create confusion over the existing political understanding on rotation of power among the senatorial districts.

He said the governor’s alleged comment that the next governor could emerge from either Bayelsa East Senatorial District or the West might reopen political disagreements already considered settled by many stakeholders in the state.

Speaking on the zoning arrangement, Eradiri insisted that the governorship should naturally rotate to the Eastern Senatorial District after the completion of Governor Diri’s tenure from the Central Senatorial District.

According to him, Bayelsa West had already produced a governor who completed eight years in office, while the East, despite producing governors in the past, had not collectively completed eight years.

The former IYC leader, who said he is from the Central Senatorial District, questioned the inclusion of the West in the succession debate, noting that many political stakeholders had accepted that power should shift to the East.

He also argued that if zoning was to be considered based on local government arguments, Yenagoa should equally have a strong claim because it hosts the state capital but has never produced a governor since the creation of Bayelsa State.

Eradiri lamented that Yenagoa had not received the political recognition and development it deserved despite its strategic position in the state.

He warned that reopening the zoning debate could create unnecessary tension and alter existing political alignments ahead of the next governorship election.

He said, “The West has produced the governor for eight years and the deputy governor for another eight years. So it is naturally the East that the pendulum is swinging to.

“So, when the governor, who is our political leader, begins to sit in the middle, then it becomes a recipe for chaos.”

Eradiri further stated that the governor’s comments would naturally carry weight because of his position as the political leader of the state, especially at a time political activities ahead of 2027 are already gathering momentum.