Bayelsa State was thrown into a political frenzy on November 3 as Governor Douye Diri formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in what party leaders described as “a homecoming long overdue.”
The ceremony, held at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex, turned Yenagoa into a carnival ground as thousands of APC supporters flooded the streets despite hours of persistent drizzle.
By 10 a.m., the 5,000-capacity stadium had overflowed, forcing security personnel to shut the gates to prevent a stampede. Chants of “APC! APC!” filled the air as drums thundered, flags waved, and supporters danced through the streets leading to the venue.
Kashim Shettima, Vice President of Nigeria, represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to formally receive Diri into the APC.
Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, welcomed the governor and praised his move. Hope Uzodimma, Governor of Imo State and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, described the defection as “a courageous and progressive decision taken at the right time”.
Other notable governors in attendance included Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Sheriff Oborevwori(Delta), Lucky Aiyedatiwa(Ondo), Peter Mbah(Enugu), Usman Ododo(Kogi), Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq(Kwara), Monday Okpebholo(Edo) and Dapo Abiodun(Ogun).
There were also the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda; Minister of State Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri; Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin; Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Ben Bruce, Senator Benson Konbowei; Senator Benson Agadaga; Nze Chidi Duru; and Hajia Fatima, wife of House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abass.
Why I Left PDP — Diri Lists 15 Reasons
Addressing the crowd in a 23-point speech, Governor Diri outlined 15 key reasons for abandoning the PDP.
He said: “We tried all we could to save the PDP but to no avail. Undertakers were very busy burying the PDP. After seeing that the undertakers wanted to bury the PDP, I never wanted my state to be buried alongside it.
“This defection is not a Bayelsa defection; it is the Ijaw nation defecting to the APC.
“Some ignorant people said I had lost my office. But the only way a governor can lose his seat is through impeachment … and in this case, the Speaker and majority of the Assembly members are with me….
“Somebody had to take the decision and I took it on behalf of the state. Some of you might not understand now, but later it will be clear.”
The 15 reasons are:
* Unity and common purpose that sustained the PDP had been eroded
* Internal dynamics made renewal of PDP difficult
* Undertakers were bent on burying PDP, I don’t want Bayelsa buried with PDP
* I don’t want our NASS and Assembly members to be caught in the PDP quagmire and lack a platform for re-election
* South-South used to be all PDP. I used to be the chairman of South-South PDP governors. All others have left, and I became chairman of myself
* I joined APC based on wide consultation and careful consideration in the interest of the Bayelsa people
* President Tinubu is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is a friend of Bayelsa and a supporter of the Ijaw people
* Tinubu awarded a contract and started building Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, one of the Ijaw Nation’s long-standing demands
* Tinubu didn’t use Federal might to abort my re-election
*Nembe-Brass Road had been on the drawing board for 60 years under past governments, but received prompt attention after I went to Tinubu
* Tinubu waived the tax burden for Bayelsa on the importation of 60MW gas turbines
* The APC-led FG endorsed Bayelsa’s Agge Deep Seaport project
* We need to naturally align with a leadership that is prepared to act in Bayelsa’s best interest and advance our people’s welfare
* With Tinubu supporting Bayelsa’s development, I have no reason to remain on a sinking ship
* No division in Bayelsa APC, I have been accepted by the whole APC family.
As the leader of APC in Bayelsa now, Diri declared, “I am not a bossy type. I have come to unite us so that we can work together and produce a 99 per cent result in Bayelsa come 2027.”
Those who moved with Diri to the APC are 23 of 24 members of the Bayelsa House of Assembly, two of the three serving senators, Konbowei and Agadaga, and all council chairmen, among others.
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