The Hon. Berry Negerese Campaign Organization has described as false and misleading a recent statement issued by the Bayelsa West PDP Conscience Group wherein it undermined the chairmanship ambition of Hon. Berry Negerese for the Ekeremor Local Government Area under the Peoples Democratic Party describing it “as a joke taken too far.”
The West PDP Conscience Group in a publication on Thursday had said Hon. Negerese does not deserve to fly the party ticket for the council election, claiming he openly defected from the party in 2019 and has since not been officially welcomed back to the party.
The group questioned Negerese’s loyalty to the PDP, adding that there is no record of his return to the party, recalling that he was recently disqualified from seeking the party’s ticket to contest for the Ekeremor Constituency III House of Assembly seat during last year’s general elections.
But reacting to the Bayelsa West PDP Conscience Group, the Director-General of Hon. Berry Negerese Campaign organization, Mr. Japan Udoji in a statement described the claims by the group as false and misleading.
Udoji stated that the Bayelsa West PDP Conscience Group is a faceless organization sponsored by Enabraye Thompson and hence should not be taken seriously by well-meaning Bayelsans.
He maintained that Negerese has occupied several top positions in the party and is a bonafide member of the Bayelsa PDP, thus is eligible to contest any political post under the party including the chairmanship position of Ekeremor LGA
Although he admitted that Negerese left the PDP in 2019 because of perceived injustice in the party, the Campaign DG maintained that his principal returned to the PDP just before the State Assembly and still served as DG campaigns at the behest of Governor Douye Diri.
The statement maintained that if there is anyone deserving of the PDP’s ticket to contest the Ekeremor Local Government Chairmanship position, it is Negerese who has served and made many sacrifices for the party’s successes in different elections.
The statement reads in full:
“Our attention has been drawn to a publication making the rounds on social media wherein it is alleged that Hon. Berry Negerese, a foremost aspirant of Ekeremor Local Government Council Chairmanship position in the April 6, 2024, Local Council general election, should not be considered by the Peoples Democratic Party because he left the Party some time ago.
“We need to put the records straight against these false claims by a faceless group named Bayelsa West PDP Conscience group which we believe is sponsored by one desperate Chief Enabraye Thompson who obviously is also an aspirant of the Chairmanship seat, wanting to reap from where he did not sow.
“We ordinarily would not have given relevance to claims of this faceless group but for the sake of public record we hereby state the following:
“Hon. Barry Negerese is a party faithful. He aspired for the State House of Assembly in 2015 but was asked to step down for the incumbent.
“It is on record that on the day he decided to step down he supported the party and the incumbent with cash gifts and afterward became the campaign Director General to the incumbent—the member representing Ekeremor Constituency III in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and led the Party to victory in that election.
“Hon. Barry Negerese also served the PDP as zonal auditor from 2012 to 2015. He then served again as DG of the campaign and spurred the party to victory.
“However, Hon. Barry Negerese, because of perceived injustice just like many other party faithful left the PDP in 2019.
“Hon. Negerese later returned to the PDP just before the state Assembly election upon invitation by party leaders who in recognition of his works and past sacrifices to the Party invited Negerese to contest same elections.
“Negerese later stepped down from contesting the House of Assembly seat as a result of similar blackmails from his detractors and for the interest and betterment of the party.
“Hon. Negerese was afterward appointed DG of campaign for the Ekeremor Constituency III for the PDP in the 2023 general election as well as in the just concluded 2023 Bayelsa gubernatorial election and subsequently sponsored and delivered the PDP in his Constituency in the elections.
“Hon. Negerese was also made the ward coordinator in the 2023 Bayelsa gubernatorial election where he delivered his ward in the election and his unit results scoring PDP 161 and Apc 0.
“It is on record that in every election, Hon. Barry Negerese has spent a substantial amount of his own money to deliver the party.
“The same Hon. Berry Negerese they claimed has no say in the Party was the Campaign Director of the PDP for Ekeremor Constituency III at the 2023 general elections where he worked for the successful return of the current Deputy Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Michael P. Ogbere, the two National Assembly Members of Bayelsa West— Sen. Henry Seriake Dickson and Rt. Hon. Fred Y. Agbedi, PhD. as Campaign DG.
“The contributions of Barry Negerese at every election involving PDP outweighs the contributions of those casting inveigh on him.
“Going by the above, it is laughable for anyone to undermine the contributions of Hon. Berry Negerese’s contributions to the success of the PDP, suffice it to say that, over the years he has made enormous sacrifices for the PDP in Ekeremor Constituency III and if anyone is deserving of the Party’s ticket to contest the Ekeremor Local Government Chairmanship seat, it is none other than him.”
