2019: Constituents reject Ben Bruce

The constituents of Senator Murray Ben-Bruce in Bayelsa East, yesterday said the ‘common sense’ senator did not deserve re-election in 2019.

The constituents lamented their alleged poor representation by Ben Bruce and asked him to forget politics and return to his entertainment business.

They, however, backed Nimi Barigha-Amange, who represented the district in the Sixth Senate.

They recalled that during Amange’s period, they had a robust and quality representation.

Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Nembe, Bayelsa, constituents, comprising John Thatcher, David Obodor, Afen Bright, Wilson Abel, Oscar Egberi, Jeff Afagha, Angela Ikokote, Rev. Ranami Afagha, and Atim Atim-King, among others, said Amange would be a worthy candidate.

In an address read by Abel, they urged the electorate to reject the years of suffering, cluelessness and ineffective senatorial representation.

The constituents said they would not accept an imposition of “faceless hawks” that had no link with the people they claimed to represent.

“A district blessed with wealth of inestimable value has nothing to show for it. Rather, the district is seen as the poorest of all the senatorial districts in the state. Our children will one day ask what happened to our oil and gas and the answer will be inexplicable.

“This is because of the non-performing senators picked to represent the district. Whatever we have in the district is through the benevolence of the government of Seriake Dickson, the indisputable leader of the Ijaw nation.

“It is pertinent to mention that the only highway linking Yenagoa, the state capital, with Nembe Local Government Area was facilitated by Dickson. The leaders, as well as the government of Bayersa State had single-handed fought for the re-location to the state of oil and gas companies to their operational headquarters.

“But the call has fallen on deaf ears because our senators never tried to add inputs into this demand. As we talk, taxes due the state are rather paid to Lagos and Abuja against our demands.”

They lamented that there were issues the senators that represented them after Amange would have handled, but they turned a blind eye.

“Despite billions of naira being appropriated for projects, for the past eight years, no single constituency had been located in Bayelsa East. Are we not worthy of one or two constituency projects?

“If they claim that we are wrong, let them point at a constituency project they have influenced to the district! Twon Brass, the citadel of Christianity is being washed away gradually by the atlantic ocean.

The community has cried out, calling for embankment. But the senators representing that district have failed to pursue the project for the people.

“They should also tell us how many appointments they have attracted to the people – none as we know. Even their personal relationship with the people is nothing to write home about. Another area our senators have failed the people is their non-commitment towards the realization of the Brass LNG, which had been in limbo for so long.”