Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on November 3, 2025, marking the fourth high-profile gubernatorial exit from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since the 2023 general elections and intensifying fears of the opposition’s collapse ahead of 2027.
Diri, elected on the PDP platform in 2019 and re-elected in 2023, cited “obvious reasons” for his move during a Yenagoa ceremony attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The switch, following resignations from Enugu’s Peter Mbah (October), Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno (June), and Delta’s Sheriff Oborevwori (April), has slashed PDP’s gubernatorial hold from 11 to 7 states, bolstering APC’s dominance to 25 governorships.
The defections, often en masse with state assemblies, commissioners, and local officials, have been attributed to PDP’s lingering 2023 zoning crisis, federal patronage under President Bola Tinubu, and survival instincts amid the party’s delayed convention.
PDP Governors’ Forum chair Bala Mohammed expressed “more than concern” in October, warning of a one-party drift.
Remaining PDP governors—Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), and Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers)—face speculation, with Taraba and Plateau eyed next.
The gubernatorial haemorrhage mirrors a broader legislative bleed, with over 40 PDP federal lawmakers defecting to APC since June 2023, per PLAC Legist and National Assembly records.
PDP’s initial 36 Senate and 118 House seats have dwindled to around 28 senators and under 80 representatives, handing APC a two-thirds majority (over 240 House seats).
Defectors often invoke “party divisions” under Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution to retain seats, though rare court wins—like the October 31 sacking of Zamfara’s Abubakar Gummi—have forced refunds and by-elections.