The Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has expressed optimism that local government election will be conducted within the course of the year.
According to the governor, the state government was awaiting the conclusion of the 2023 general elections before commencing the process for the council polls.
Rant HQ understands that the the councils in the state have been operating without elected council bosses since the tenure of the last elected local government chairmen and councillors expired on August 14, 2022.
It was gathered that the last council elections in the state were held during the second term tenure of the former Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, in August 2019.
Diri’s administration has since the expiration of their tenure been faced with lots of criticism by opposition parties in the state over it’s alleged inability to conduct the polls.
However, Diri in his reaction to the development, told pressmen that his administration would conduct the exercise after math of the general election.
He noted that “We will do that (conduct local government election) hopefully this year. We want the national elections, at least, to come and go and then we will set up the procedures for the local government election.
“So, hopefully, we will have our local government election this year.”
