Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri on Monday publicly abandoned the Peoples Democratic Party in favor of the ruling All Progressives Congress, branding his previous party as a “sinking ship.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima led a high-profile APC delegation to Yenagoa for a colorful celebration to welcome the governor into the party at the Samson Siasia Sports Stadium.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio was also present, as were governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom).
Diri’s defection, which comes before the 2027 general elections, makes him the fourth PDP governor to join the APC this year, after Oborevwori, Eno, and Enugu’s Peter Mbah.
The governor announced his resignation from the PDP on October 15 during a cabinet meeting, citing “obvious reasons.”
Speaking at the ceremony, Diri said he took the choice to prevent Bayelsa from sharing in the fate of what he described as a fading opposition party.
“We tried all we could to save the PDP, but to no avail. Undertakers were very busy burying 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 was more than just a personal political decision, referring to it as part of a larger “Ijaw realignment.”
“This defection is not a Bayelsa defection. It is the Ijaw nation defecting to the APC,” he stated.
The governor referred to his lengthy experience as an Ijaw activist, saying that the Ijaw National Congress had been advocating for a coastal route connecting Lagos and Calabar since the military regime.
“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 claimed that he had been pressured by his South-South colleagues to join the ruling party after being the lone PDP governor 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 speech, Vice President Shettima described Diri’s defection as “a homecoming” and praised him for prioritizing development over 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 noted that Diri’s track record of governance made him a logical choice for the progressive movement.
“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.”
In his remarks, APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yiltwada stated that Bayelsa’s decision to unite with the APC was “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, congratulated the president and party officials for what he described as “a new chapter in 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.”
