The Special Adviser to the President on ICT and Digital Innovation, Tokoni Peter Igoin, has asked Engr. Udengs Eradiri, a former Labour Party (LP) Governorship Candidate in Bayelsa State, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Igoin visited Eradiri, a Fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) at his country home on Wednesday at Azikoro Village, Yenagoa, following his recent withdrawal from the LP.
Eradiri had 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 turn around 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 President Tinubu places a 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 means well for the country.
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.
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 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.”
“I saw your withdrawal from the Labour Party. I hope we work together. I work with people. I am coming to pledge that I need people like you. 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 was not surrounded by some selfish politicians, his reforms would have speedily tricked down to the grassroots.
He said: “I thank the President for identifying you and appointing you without bias. The problem he has is that people around him don’t share the same visions with him. Gradually we are beginning to see the positive impact of his reforms. We will do our best to give you the support.”
He advised Igoin to do his job and seek opportunities in his area of employment to help the President actualise his Renewed Hope Agenda.
And to Igoin, he said: “You have been given a very rare position. The West dominates the sector and for you to be given such an appointment, it means you are doing well in the ICT. They have developed their own. Do your job and bring people with competence that can assist you.”
Eradiri advised governors in the Niger Delta to support presidential aides from the area without party considerations to enable them to succeed and help others from the region.
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.
