Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri Resigns From PDP

Twenty-four hours after Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, also resigned from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along with his entire cabinet, but remained silent on his next move.

Equally yesterday, business magnet and former Senator for Bayelsa East, Ben Bruce, dumped PDP and joined APC.

Announcing his defection, the founder of Silverbird Group hinged his decision on his longstanding relationship with President Bola Tinubu and belief in the president’s vision for Nigeria.

Diri’s resignation from the opposition party followed weeks of speculation, which he confirmed on Wednesday, when he left with about 17 members of the PDP caucus in the House of Assembly.

The governor made the development known yesterday at the State Executive Council meeting held at Government House, Yenagoa, the state capital.

Aside from the 17 Assembly members from PDP, two members from All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), alongside Speaker, Mr. Abraham Ingobere, also joined the governor to quit PDP.

Though rumour had it that he was defecting to APC, Diri, who thanked supporters for their steadfastness and loyalty, did not disclose the party he was going.

He stated at the SEC meeting, “I hereby resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party and I am not going to resign alone. As you can see, I am here with the Speaker, the deputy speaker and all other members of our party, who will as well go with me

“There are some who are not here now and that’s because they are on official duty. Today, I have formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party for obvious reasons.

“I am grateful to all all my friends and supporters who had stood by me and with me and all over again and together we will continue to build a virile Bayelsa State and a stronger and virile country by extension.”

Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, had earlier in his verified Facebook account, confirmed the development.

Meanwhile, Former Bayelsa State governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, said he remained loyal to PDP, despite the resignation of his home governor, Diri, from the party.

Dickson stated, “Also today, I have been bombarded since morning when the news broke of the defection of the governor of my state, His Excellency Senator Duoye Diri, who said he resigned from the PDP with his executives and 14 members of the PDP, out of the 17 PDP-elected members of the state House of Assembly. It is a major development in the politics of our state.

thewyreng