BREAKING: Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri Resigns from PDP

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ending weeks of speculation over his political future.

The development was confirmed on Wednesday in a statement posted by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, on Facebook. According to Alabrah, the governor’s resignation was made alongside that of the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, and all PDP members in the state legislature.

Diri’s decision, announced during the weekly State Executive Council meeting at Government House, Yenagoa, marks a significant shift in Bayelsa’s political landscape, where the PDP has maintained dominance since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.

Although Alabrah did not specify the governor’s next political move, multiple reports suggest that Diri’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) may be imminent. However, this has not been officially confirmed.

Party sources told The PUNCH that Diri has submitted his resignation letter to the PDP leadership in the state. Calls placed to the PDP State Chairman, Solomon Agwanana, were not answered as of press time, and efforts to reach the governor’s spokesperson for further clarification were unsuccessful.

Channels Television, TheCable, and Arise News also confirmed the resignation on Wednesday afternoon, citing statements from the governor’s media office.

The development further reduces the PDP’s control at the subnational level, leaving the party with eight sitting governors nationwide.

Details are expected to emerge later regarding Diri’s next political destination and the composition of the new State Executive Council following the reported mass resignations of cabinet members.