Bayelsa denies shifting blame to Tinubu over state’s poverty rate

The Bayelsa State Government has denied issuing any statement blaming the Federal Government for poverty in the state, describing reports to that effect as false and misleading.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, the government said no official statement was issued on Monday in response to criticisms by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state over Governor Douye Diri’s six-year performance.

The government specifically refuted media reports in a statement titled, “Bayelsa Govt Rejects PDP’s Poverty Claims, Defends Six-Year Record,” saying the words attributed to the commissioner never existed.

It also dismissed a follow-up report alleging that the state government shifted responsibility for poverty in the state to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, insisting that no such position was taken.

The statement partly read, “The commissioner neither issued, signed nor circulated any press release responding to the opposition party’s claims,” stressing that the government considered the allegations unworthy of an official response.

The government challenged journalists and media organisations that published the report to produce the purported statement, maintaining that they would be unable to do so because “none exists.”

It maintained that Bayelsans were familiar with the performance of the Governor Douye Diri administration and could distinguish between facts and deliberate distortions.

The statement further argued that the opposition’s allegation that the state government blamed the Federal Government for poverty only exposed what it described as the PDP faction’s attempt to create a false narrative.

According to the government, Diri enjoys a cordial and productive working relationship with President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government, adding that the partnership continues to deliver benefits to the people of Bayelsa.

It accused the PDP faction of seeking political relevance through falsehood and reiterated that the state government would not be distracted by what it described as baseless allegations.