Facts have emerged on why the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, delayed his defection to the All Progressives Congress two weeks after resigning from the Peoples Democratic Party.
A senior official of the APC at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja confided in Saturday PUNCH that Diri had requested the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, to hand over the party’s flag to him in a formal reception.
According to the APC official, the arrangement for the official reception delayed the governor’s defection.
Diri had, on October 15, announced his exit from the PDP during an expanded State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Yenagoa.
The governor said the decision followed “extensive consultations” with key stakeholders in the state, adding, “I am not resigning alone. I am here with Mr Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and all the members of our party in the Assembly who are with me on this. So today, I have formally resigned from the PDP for very obvious reasons.”
According to the APC official, who is involved in the party’s plan to receive Diri, the party is done with the arrangements to welcome the governor.
He said, “Governor Diri is coming to the APC, and he will join us on Monday. The party has put up a reception plan, and it is the wish of the governor that the Vice President hands over the APC flag to him. The national secretariat and the VP’s office have worked that out.
“The governor wants an official and befitting reception, and he deserves it. That is why he delayed his defection. But we are done with the arrangements.”
Similarly, one of the senior administrative officers at the APC secretariat in Abuja disclosed that arrangements were in place to receive the governor into the party on Monday.
“I am aware that the secretariat is preparing to receive Governor Diri on Monday. The governor wants an official reception, and we are working on it. As I am speaking with you, nothing will change the governor’s plan to join the APC,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State chapter of the PDP has insisted that its leadership would not join the governor in defecting to the APC.
The State Publicity Secretary, Ebiye Ogoli, while speaking with Sunday PUNCH, said there was no reason to leave the PDP with Diri, stating that the party’s leadership remained strong.
Ogoli explained that the leadership decided not to defect with the governor because he is in his second term and will not be contesting again; hence, there was no reason to move with him.
“We are not defecting with the governor. We stand by our last statement. The governor did not compel anyone to move with him. Before we took the decision, we considered the fact that the governor is not contesting again and, therefore, there was no reason to move with him.
“The party remains strong. It is not true that we want to defect with him.”
Findings by Sunday PUNCH also revealed that three members of the State House of Assembly — Godbless Oyinke, Ted Elemeforo, and Wisdom Fafi — have refused to leave the PDP.
This is as the Deputy Governor of the state, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has dragged the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, its Speaker, Abraham Ingobere; the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Matilda Ayemieye; the Bayelsa State Attorney-General, Biriyai Dambo (SAN), the Inspector-General of Police; and the Director-General of the Department of State Services before a Federal High Court in Abuja to avert a reported impeachment plot.
Ewhrudjakpo, who has remained in the PDP, said there was a plot by the lawmakers to impeach him because he did not resign his membership of the party with the governor.
The deputy governor, in an originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/221/2025, according to TheCable, sought interim orders of the court to restrain the State House of Assembly from removing or impeaching him in violation of Sections 188(5)–(9), (11), and 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), on the grounds of his refusal to defect from the PDP to the APC or any other political party before the end of his tenure.
Ewhrudjakpo also asked the court to restrain the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, and the Bayelsa State Attorney-General from withdrawing his security protection as deputy governor, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
