• Diri: Party has been hijacked by undertakers; we tried to save PDP
• He’s the new party leader in Bayelsa, Shettima, Yilwatda confirm
• Wike decries impunity, disregard for party constitution under Damagum
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continued its harvest of opposition politicians yesterday when it officially received Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State into its fold alongside two senators, members of the House of Representatives, and 22 out of the 24 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
Diri said his decision, which was long in coming weeks after resigning his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was not for personal or partisan reasons, but a strategic move in the interest of Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation. He declared that his defection carried along the Ijaw people across Delta, Edo, Ondo, Rivers and other states, who, he said, have resolved to support President Bola Tinubu and his administration.
With Diri’s defection, the number of APC-controlled states ahead of the 2027 general elections has risen to 25, giving the party dominance in five South-South states, three in the South-East, four in the South-West, five in the North-West, three in the North-East, and five in the North-Central. The development has also increased the party’s strength in the National Assembly beyond the two-thirds majority threshold.
Addressing a cheering crowd of over 30,000 supporters who trooped to the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa, Diri said he did his best to salvage his former party, adding that the PDP had been hijacked by undertakers bent on destroying the party and he had no choice than to join the ruling party in order to protect the political future of members and his followers in the state.
He also stated that President Tinubu’s expressed love for the development of the state and the Ijaw nation through developmental initiatives, including the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass road and a N4 billion tax waiver granted the state when he procured the 60 megawatt gas turbine, influenced his decision.
”On October 15, I did something after consultation with elders and the State Assembly and afterwards resigned from the PDP for obvious reasons. This defection is not only for Bayelsa. It is for Ijaws in Ondo, Edo, Delta and Rivers. I will not denigrate my former party. We were happy with it until some undertakers destroyed it.
“We tried to salvage it, but to no avail. I never wanted my state to be buried with the PDP. What was going on became incumbent on me to make a decision and the majority of the state House of Assembly, including the Speaker, have come with me to the APC.”
The governor expressed gratitude to the national leadership and members of the APC for warmly welcoming him and his supporters into the fold. He, however, noted that he holds no ill feelings toward those who chose to remain in the PDP, urging them to work for the state’s progress.
Receiving Diri into the party, Vice President Kashim Shettima declared the governor as the new leader of the APC in Bayelsa, in line with the party’s constitution.
“Your Excellency, each of us here has come to assure you that you are home. You will not be judged by where you are coming from but by where you are going. Your arrival is not the depletion of the opposition; it is the confirmation of the pulse and constitutional clarity of Africa’s largest democracy, the freedom of choice,” he said.
Also speaking, the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda; President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma; and business mogul, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, commended Diri for his courage and statesmanship in joining the ruling party.
Speaking on behalf of the APC governors, Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, said the Bayelsa governor has taken a progressive step by aligning with the renewed hope agenda of the President.
Also present at the event were the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, and Governors Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State), Pastor Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Ahmed Ododo (Kogi), and Monday Okpebolo (Edo).
Others are the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, Kwara State (AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq), Peter Mba (Enugu), as well as former Edo governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
Supporters of the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC), led by Iliya Damagum, have condemned the recent wave of defections by some elected officials, describing the development as destabilising and harmful to party unity. They also criticised what they termed “dubious and predictable” court judgments, saying such rulings have further deepened the crisis within the opposition party.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday night, Dr Mike Omeri, who addressed newsmen on behalf of the group under the banner ‘PDP Patriots,’ reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Damagum-led NWC.
He emphasised that the current NWC remains the legitimate leadership of the PDP in line with the party’s founding principles.
The group expressed disappointment with politicians who defected to other parties despite being elected on the PDP platform, accusing them of betraying the trust of the electorate. “This action clearly betrays democracy and the aspirations of the people,” Omeri said.
He cautioned the defectors against maligning the PDP, saying their departures were driven by personal ambition rather than internal party crises.
However, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a blistering attack on the party’s leadership, accusing key figures in the NWC of corruption, impunity, and gross abuse of the party’s constitution.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme on Monday night, Wike, a founding member of the PDP and former Governor of Rivers State, lamented what he described as the hijack of the party by “corrupt elements and political task collectors.”
“People want to destroy the PDP, but we will not allow them. Nobody owns this party. I will not join them in dragging it into the gutter,” Wike declared.
He took a particular jab at Damagum, whom he accused of lacking integrity and presiding over a regime of deceit.
Wike said the PDP had lost its moral compass and was being run in violation of its own constitution. “I have always told them — obey the party’s constitution, obey the law. But no, they think money is everything. The PDP is collapsing because those in charge don’t respect agreements,” he added.
The Minister warned that the party could face a constitutional crisis if the planned national convention, slated for November 15–16, was not conducted in line with due process.
Wike attributed the struggles of the PDP to impunity within the party, stating that impunity is the primary factor weakening the PDP, pointing fingers at certain individuals who have allegedly exploited the party for personal gain.
Wike specifically mentioned Atiku Abubakar, suggesting that Atiku’s ambitions led him to attempt to manipulate the party, but his (Wike’s) presence thwarted these efforts. He noted that individuals like Atiku, who have repeatedly left and rejoined the party, are responsible for its current state.
Wike welcomed the departure of certain members, including Diri, who publicly declared his exit from the PDP. Wike emphasised that the PDP’s lack of effective leadership has contributed to its struggles, resulting in an “empty” party.
He said, “Those who have left the party have never been committed members. Atiku has no choice but to go because he wanted to use the PDP to fuel his ambition, but knowing that I am there, he can’t get the platform. These are the people who destroyed the party. Remember the number of times that he had left and come back. The party is empty because of a lack of leadership. PDP, we cannot continue to allow impunity.”
