Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), making him the fourth sitting governor this year to join the ruling party.
Before Diri’s defection, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, and Enugu Governor Peter Mbah had already dumped the PDP for the APC, signaling a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The event took place at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, where Diri, alongside members of his Executive Council, state lawmakers, and top Bayelsa political figures, was received into the ruling party amid a large crowd.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, led the high-profile delegation that welcomed Diri into the APC fold.
“PDP Has Been Taken Over by Undertakers” — Diri
Speaking at the event, Diri said he made several attempts to rescue the PDP but failed because the party had been “hijacked by undertakers.”
“We tried to salvage it (PDP), but to no avail. I never wanted my state to be buried with the PDP,” he declared.
The Bayelsa governor explained that his decision was guided by consultations with elders, state assembly members, and other political stakeholders.
“This defection is not only for Bayelsa; it is for the Ijaw people in Ondo, Edo, Delta, and Rivers. I will not denigrate my former party. We were happy with it until some undertakers destroyed it,” Diri added.
He further cited President Tinubu’s developmental interest in Bayelsa and the Niger Delta region as a key motivation for his move.
Among the president’s initiatives mentioned were the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, and a ₦4 billion tax waiver for Bayelsa to acquire a 60-megawatt gas turbine.
Tinubu’s Administration Commends Diri’s “Courage and Conviction”
Presenting the APC flag to the governor, APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, declared Diri as the new leader of the party in Bayelsa.
“With this flag, we want you to sweep out PDP and sweep all the votes to APC in 2027. You are now our leader in Bayelsa. May God give you strength to deliver President Tinubu,” he said.
In his address, Vice President Shettima praised Diri’s defection as a “homecoming” and a “testament to national unity.”
“Today, you have shown us that Bayelsa has chosen the light of national integration over the shadows of political isolation. The APC is the party of progress and shared belief,” Shettima noted.
He described the governor as a “son of the creeks” who has built both literal and political bridges across the Niger Delta, commending his leadership style rooted in peace, development, and inclusiveness.
“This is not just the depletion of the opposition but a reaffirmation of Nigeria’s democratic freedom of choice,” Shettima emphasized.
Top APC Figures Welcome Diri
The event also saw the presence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Progressive Governors Forum Chairman Hope Uzodimma, and several serving governors including Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun).
Notably, Diri’s Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, and former Bayelsa governor Seriake Dickson declined to join the defection. Ewhrudjakpo has since filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja to prevent the state assembly from initiating impeachment proceedings against him.
Also present at the ceremony were former Senator Ben Bruce, Senators Konbowei Benson and Benson Agadaga, as well as several federal ministers and Niger Delta stakeholders, including Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, and Chief Ebitimi Amgbare.
With this move, Bayelsa like Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Enugu joins the growing list of former PDP strongholds now under APC control, further reshaping Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of 2027.
