By Joy Yesufu and Attah Ede
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ending his long-standing association with the party under whose platform he rose through the political ranks to become governor.
The governor’s resignation was confirmed by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, who announced the decision in a brief statement but gave no reason for the move.
Alabrah also did not indicate whether the governor plans to join another political party, though speculations are rife that he is joining the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following the development, 19 PDP members in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, commissioners and top aides in the State Executive Council, have resigned from the party in solidarity with the governor.
Governor Diri is currently meeting with members of the State Executive Council and Assembly leadership, including the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere, at Government House, Yenagoa.
Earlier in the day, Governor Diri had appeared alongside former President Goodluck Jonathan at the commissioning of the Best Western Plus Hotel in Yenagoa an event seen by political observers as symbolic, given their long-standing political ties.
Before becoming governor, Diri served as Commissioner for Youth and Sports under Jonathan’s administration as Bayelsa governor, later becoming Principal Secretary to former Governor Seriake Dickson, his immediate predecessor.
He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2015 and to the Senate in 2019, both on the PDP platform.
He became Bayelsa governor in 2020 following a Supreme Court ruling that nullified the APC’s victory, and he was re-elected in 2023 under the PDP.
As of press time, the PDP leadership had yet to issue an official response to Diri’s resignation.
