Momentum is building around the potential defection of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as political stakeholders and advocacy groups intensify calls for alignment with the federal government.
The call was made public by Wisdom Ikuli, the governor’s Technical Adviser on Media and Convener of the Concerned Bayelsa Stakeholders Forum (CBSF), who addressed journalists and political stakeholders in Yenagoa. Ikuli urged Governor Diri to make the switch, arguing that Bayelsa’s continued political isolation from the federal center could stall its development.
According to Ikuli, projects like the long-abandoned Agge Deep Seaport, among others, can only be realized if Bayelsa aligns with the central government. He emphasized that historical political wisdom from Ijaw leaders such as High Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye and Senator Melford Okilo supported such alignment for the region’s benefit.
“Bayelsa remains the only PDP-controlled state in the South-South,” Ikuli noted. “This political distance is affecting the state’s ability to secure federal appointments and attract key infrastructure.”
He further warned that the PDP is being hijacked by a few individuals preparing legal landmines to undermine the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections. Ikuli claimed that internal plots are underway to disqualify PDP nominees under the guise of factional crises and court disputes.
Highlighting the marginalization of the Ijaw people in current federal appointments, Ikuli said the Ijaw Nation — despite being the fourth-largest ethnic group and a major contributor to the national economy — has been rendered politically irrelevant due to non-alignment with the APC-led federal government.
In the days ahead, CBSF and its allies plan to launch daily rallies across Yenagoa to pressure Governor Diri into making the switch. Ikuli called on the governor to ignore dissenting voices and trust in the support of the people.
He praised the governor’s achievements so far and said his leadership would be more impactful if backed by the political machinery of the federal government.
