There is uneasy calm in Bayelsa State following the defection of Governor Douye Diri from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naijaonpoint reports that Diri made the announcement on Wednesday during an expanded State Executive Council meeting in Yenagoa, attended by the Speaker of the Bayelsa House of Assembly, Abraham Ngobere, his deputy, Micheal Ogbere, and several lawmakers.
He stated, “Today, I wish to address a matter that has been the subject of speculation and debate across party lines in Bayelsa State and beyond. After extensive consultation, I, Governor Douye Diri, do hereby resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party.”
The governor, who stressed that he was not leaving alone, said, “I am here with Mr Speaker, Deputy Speaker and all the members of our party in the Assembly, who are with me on this. So, today, I have formally resigned from the PDP for very obvious reasons.”
Notably absent from the meeting was Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, whose name Diri also pointedly omitted from his defection speech.
Party insiders who spoke with Daily Sun said Ewhrudjakpo deliberately stayed away, unhappy that he was not consulted in the decision to quit the PDP. His loyalty to former governor Seriake Dickson, who remains firmly in the PDP, is also said to be a key factor.
Sources disclosed that Diri is unlikely to pressure his deputy into defecting, as doing so could inflame political tension in the state.
Former governor, Seriake Dickson and his allies in the National Assembly have maintained their stance against leaving the PDP.
Three lawmakers in the Bayelsa Assembly, Godless Oyinke (Sagabama 1), Wisdom Fafi (Kolokuma/Opokuma 2), and Ted Elemeforo (Yenagoa III and Deputy Chief Whip), have also refused to join the governor in his move.
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