Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, on Monday formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the ruling All Progressives Congress, describing his former party as a “sinking ship.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima led a high-powered APC delegation to Yenagoa to receive the governor into the party at a colourful ceremony held at the Samson Siasia Sports Stadium.
Also present were Senate President Godswill Akpabio and governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom).
Diri’s defection, coming ahead of the 2027 general elections, makes him the fourth PDP governor to join the APC this year, following similar moves by Oborevwori, Eno, and Enugu’s Peter Mbah.
The governor had earlier announced his resignation from the PDP on October 15 during a meeting with his cabinet, citing what he called “obvious reasons.”
Speaking at the event, Diri said he took the decision to save Bayelsa from sharing in the fate of what he described as a dying opposition party.
“We tried all we could to save the PDP, but to no avail. Undertakers were very busy to bury the party,” he said.
“After seeing that the undertakers wanted to bury the PDP, I never wanted my state to be buried alongside it. So after consultations with our leaders, it was incumbent on me as governor to make a decision.”
Diri declared that his defection represented more than a personal political move, calling it a wider “Ijaw realignment.”
“This defection is not a Bayelsa defection. It is the Ijaw nation defecting to the APC,” he stated.
The governor referenced his long history as an Ijaw activist, recalling that the demand for a coastal highway linking Lagos and Calabar had been a major agitation of the Ijaw National Congress since the military era.
“Even during the military regime, we requested a coastal road from Lagos to Calabar,” he said, displaying an old memorandum sent to then Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.
“Today, President Bola Tinubu has acted on that demand. He has shown that he loves the Ijaw and Bayelsa people. If we have a President who understands our needs, I have no reason to remain on a sinking ship.”
Diri explained that he had been under pressure from his South-South colleagues to join the ruling party after becoming the only PDP governor left in the region.
“We were five in number; we lost one, then two. I was the last man standing,” he said. “Anytime we met, they would tell me, ‘Your Excellency, come over and let’s rebuild the South-South Governors’ Forum. Bayelsa cannot remain the odd state.’”
In his remarks, Vice President Shettima described Diri’s defection as “a homecoming” and commended him for putting development above partisanship.
“We are here not for a ceremony of convenience but a celebration of conviction,” Shettima said.
“Governor Diri has chosen the harder right over the easier wrong. Today, he has shown that Bayelsa has chosen the light of integration over the shadows of isolation.”
He added that Diri’s record of governance made him a natural fit for the progressive fold.
“From the Sagbama–Ekeremor Highway to the Yenagoa–Oporoma Bridge, he has connected lives and built hope where there was darkness,” the Vice President said. “Good governance is not about noise but impact.”
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yiltwada, in his address, said Bayelsa’s decision to align with the APC marked “a U-turn in the right direction.”
“The fishermen, the farmers, the traders and the workers have spoken with one voice. Bayelsa has said, ‘We are now APC,’” he said.
“Governor Diri, as leader of our party in the state, take this flag as a symbol of strength and authority. Sweep out PDP and deliver victory for President Tinubu in 2027.”
Diri, who was later decorated with the APC flag and muffler, thanked the President and party leaders for what he called “a new chapter for Bayelsa.”
“This is not about me,” he said. “It is about the politics of development, about ensuring that our people are not left behind. We are now part of a family that values inclusion, progress and unity.”
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