Diri Dumps PDP, Joins APC, Says Party is “Sinking”

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, on Monday formally left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing his former party as a “sinking ship” that he could no longer defend.

Diri was received into the ruling party at a rally held at the Samson Siasia Sports Stadium in Yenagoa, where he was welcomed by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and several governors of the APC.

The governor’s defection followed his earlier resignation from the PDP on October 15, after what he called failed attempts to salvage the party from internal decline. His move makes him the fourth PDP governor to join the APC this year, after Delta’s Sheriff Oborevwori, Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno, and Enugu’s Peter Mbah.

Speaking at the event, Diri said he was unwilling to allow Bayelsa to “go down” with a party he claimed had lost direction.

“We tried all we could to save the PDP but to no avail. Undertakers were already preparing to bury it. I could not allow my state to be buried with it,” he said.

He added that his decision was also influenced by consultations within Bayelsa’s political leadership and what he described as a broader Ijaw political alignment.

“This is not just a Bayelsa defection. The Ijaw nation is realigning. We will no longer stand on the sidelines,” Diri said.

Diri also pointed to recent Federal Government projects he said reflect a renewed focus on the Niger Delta, including progress on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, continuation of the Nembe–Brass Road, and a tax waiver granted to Bayelsa for a 60-megawatt gas turbine project.

Vice President Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu, described Diri’s move as one driven by conviction, not convenience.

“Today, Bayelsa has chosen integration over isolation. The governor has shown leadership that puts development before partisanship,” he said.

APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, presented Diri with the party flag, declaring him leader of the APC in Bayelsa and urging him to “sweep the state” for the ruling party in the 2027 elections.

“With this flag comes responsibility. Bayelsa has spoken; it is time to move forward,” Yilwatda said.

However, not all senior Bayelsa officials followed the governor into the APC. Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo and former governor Senator Seriake Dickson declined to defect, with Ewhrudjakpo currently engaged in a legal dispute with the state Assembly.

Meanwhile, several members of the State Executive Council, House of Assembly, and two serving senators — Konbowei Benson and Benson Agadaga — joined Diri in crossing over to the APC.

Political observers believe the move could significantly reshape the South-South power structure, where the PDP has historically been dominant. For the APC, Diri’s entry strengthens its presence in a key oil-producing state ahead of 2027.