Anon-governmental organisation, the New Generation Leaders (NGL), has told Bayelsa State founding fathers to beware of a plot by Governor Douye Diri to deceive them into attending an endorsement meeting disguised as a gathering in the state’s interests.

NGL in a statement on Saturday by its spokesman, Comrade Precious Odede, said that Diri after failing to deliver the dividends of democracy in office for four years had resorted to desperate strategies including adoption of deception to portray himself as a popular candidate.

Odede claimed that in his latest desperation, Diri had planned to lure the state’s founding fathers to the Government House for a meeting, which would surprisingly turn out to be an endorsement event.

He said at first the agenda of the meeting would look like a pro-Bayelsa meeting, but at the end the main objective of the meeting would be unveiled with media announcement that the founding fathers were behind him.

Odede wondered why Diri was planning to use his privileged position to intimidate and humiliate the state founding fathers, who were not pleased with his performance in office.

While showering encomiums on the founding fathers and elders, Odede appealed to them to scrutinise any invitation for a meeting ahead of the election. He said the elders should be wondering why the governor never engaged them since he assumed office over four years ago but chose a period close to the election to do so.

Odede said: “Again, we have uncovered a plot to get our dearly revered founding fathers and elders to a meeting that will seem as a pro-Bayelsa meeting, but at the end of the day announcements will be made and the media will fly with stories of an endorsement.

“Unfortunately many of our dearly revered founding fathers and elders would be taken aback because they will, of course, be wondering the purpose for the visit. “We condemn in totality, the planned move to humiliate and take advantage of our founding fathers and very respected elders. Over the years, we have known and seen them as apolitical, poised always just to the collective growth of our state.

“They are fathers to us all and sacrificing the integrity, reverence they have on the altar of politics is one of the most desperate political adventures we have ever heard.

“While we appreciate, adore and endorse our founding fathers and elder’s council, we may at this point advise that they scrutinise invitations at this point as it is very close to the elections.

“We eternally thank the Bayelsa State founding fathers and the elder’s council and we are aware that in their great wisdom no politician can trick them into a meeting that would be announced as an endorsement of Governor Douye Diri.” Nation