Bayelsa State’s Governor Douye Diri has defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) 24 hours after his mate in Enugu State, Peter Mbah, also announced his exit from Nigeria’s foremost opposition.
The Governor’s spokesman, Daniel Alabrah, who announced this, did not give details on why the Governor resigned from PDP.
The Governor also made the announcement on Wednesday during the weekly State Executive Council meeting inside Government House, Yenagoa.
In a video making the rounds, Diri said he was resigning from PDP alongside the Speaker and 23 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
Commissioners in the State Executive Council have all resigned their membership of the party.
However, he did not state if he and the rest would be joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or the opposition platform of the African Democratic Party (ADC).
Governor Diri on the same day addressed state executive members.
Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere, is also attending the meeting.
Governor Diri had served as a Commissioner when under Goodluck Jonathan was governor of Bayelsa.
He was also the Principal Secretary to then Governor Seriake Dickson, his predecessor.
Diri was elected as the House of Representatives member in 2015 under PDP, and in 2019, he was elected as a Senator for Bayelsa Central.
He became Governor of Bayelsa in 2020 and was re-elected under the PDP in 2023.
