Diri Lists 15 Reasons for Dumping PDP, Says “I Won’t Let Bayelsa Sink with a Dying Party”

In a major political shift, Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that his move was “a decision made in the interest of Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation.”

The defection, announced on November 3, 2025, was celebrated with a massive rally at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex, Yenagoa, where thousands of APC supporters filled the streets under a drizzle that lasted several hours.

Diri’s switch ended Bayelsa’s two-decade dominance by the PDP, marking a new chapter in the state’s political history.

“A Homecoming, Not a Convenience” — Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the event, formally welcomed Diri into the APC.

“Your Excellency, Governor Diri, this is not a ceremony of convenience but a celebration of conviction. Bayelsa has chosen unity over division. Politics should be the art of building bridges across rivers of differences,” Shettima said.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio hailed the defection as “a bold and timely step,” predicting that the South-South region would return Tinubu ‘unopposed’ in 2027, while Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma described Diri’s move as a sign of “national realignment under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

The event was attended by an impressive lineup of political figures, including several governors, federal lawmakers, and APC leaders from across the country.

“Undertakers Are Burying PDP” — Diri

In his 23-point address, Governor Diri outlined 15 reasons behind his decision to dump the PDP, emphasizing that the party’s internal crises had reached an irredeemable point.

“We tried all we could to save the PDP but to no avail. Undertakers were busy burying the party. I didn’t want Bayelsa buried alongside it,” he declared.
“This is not just my defection — it is the Ijaw nation’s defection to the APC.”

Diri dismissed claims that his seat was at risk, noting that the Speaker and 23 of 24 Assembly members were with him.

“Some say I’ve lost my office. The only way a governor can lose his seat is through impeachment — and that’s not happening,” he stated.

The 15 Reasons Diri Gave for Leaving PDP

1. The unity and purpose that sustained PDP have collapsed.
2. Renewal within the PDP is now impossible.
3. “Undertakers” have taken over the PDP.
4. He refused to let Bayelsa sink with a dying party.
5. He wanted to protect PDP lawmakers from losing their re-election platforms.
6. “I used to be chairman of South-South PDP governors; now I was chairman of myself.”
7. His move followed wide consultations in Bayelsa’s interest.
8. President Tinubu is “a friend closer than a brother” and an ally of the Ijaw people.
9. Tinubu awarded and began construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, long demanded by the Ijaw nation.
10. Tinubu never used “federal might” against his re-election.
11. The Nembe-Brass Road, abandoned for 60 years, received attention after his appeal to Tinubu.
12. The President approved a tax waiver for Bayelsa on importing 60MW gas turbines.
13. The APC-led government endorsed Bayelsa’s Agge Deep Seaport Project.
14. He wanted to align with a leadership genuinely committed to Bayelsa’s progress.
15. “With Tinubu’s support for Bayelsa, I had no reason to remain in a sinking ship.”

“I have come to unite Bayelsa and produce 99% results for APC in 2027,” Diri declared.

Mass Defection and Political Implications

Following Diri’s move, 23 of 24 members of the Bayelsa House of Assembly, two serving senators, and all council chairmen also defected to the APC, effectively transferring control of the state to the ruling party.

Analysts describe the move as a political earthquake in the South-South, historically a PDP stronghold. Diri becomes the fourth sitting governor to dump the PDP for the APC this year, after the governors of Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Enugu.

The defection, observers say, reshapes regional alliances and strengthens APC’s grip ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As Diri summed up:

“If the party I once led can no longer serve Bayelsa, then Bayelsa must find a new path. Time will tell if this path leads to progress or just a change of colours.”

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