Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defection was marked by a high-powered APC delegation led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, which visited Yenagoa on Monday for the governor’s official reception into the party.
Other prominent APC members present at the ceremony included Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom).
Diri explained that he defected due to the PDP’s internal issues and the party’s apparent undertakers, stating, “We tried all we could to save the PDP but to no avail.
Undertakers were very busy burying the PDP.” The governor’s defection follows a string of high-profile movements from the PDP to the ruling party in the buildup to the 2027 general elections.
This year alone, the opposition party has lost four governors, Diri of Bayelsa, Oborevwori of Delta, Eno of Akwa Ibom, and Peter Mbah of Enugu.
The event drew a massive crowd of supporters waving party flags and chanting slogans to welcome Diri into the APC fold.
The Bayelsa governor had earlier announced his resignation from the PDP on October 15, citing “obvious reasons” for his decision. The PDP is currently grappling with a deepening internal crisis following leadership disputes at its national level.
