The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Wednesday as Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, announced his resignation from the opposition party, joining a growing list of governors and lawmakers abandoning the platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Governor Diri announced this during the weekly State Executive Council meeting held inside the Government House, Yenagoa.
His Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, later confirmed the development in a Facebook post, stating that the governor’s resignation was supported by the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere, and 23 members of the Assembly, all elected on the PDP platform.
Although Diri did not disclose his next political destination, sources within the Bayelsa Government House indicated that consultations were ongoing with key figures in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), fuelling speculation that he and his political allies are preparing to defect formally in the coming days.
The move comes barely 24 hours after Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, formally joined the APC alongside members of his cabinet and state legislators. The back-to-back resignations of two sitting PDP governors within 48 hours have intensified speculations of a wider realignment in Nigeria’s political landscape, particularly across the South-South and South-East regions, where the PDP once held significant influence.
Governor Diri’s resignation adds to a wave of high-profile defections that have battered the PDP over the past months. Earlier in the year, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, both left the party to join the APC.
Similar moves were recorded in Akwa Ibom, where Governor Umo Eno reportedly defected with members of his executive council, while several lawmakers and former governors in the North have also crossed over to the ruling party.
The mass exodus is a direct consequence of deep-seated disunity within the PDP, coupled with unresolved disputes over zoning, leadership succession, and internal democracy. The party has faced prolonged legal battles and internal suspensions following disagreements over its national chairmanship and presidential ticket decisions since 2023.
The Bayelsa governor, who came to power as the party’s candidate in 2020, had been one of the key figures maintaining the PDP’s presence in the Niger Delta. His resignation could have far-reaching implications for the PDP in the South-South, a region once regarded as its strongest base.
As at press time, the Bayelsa PDP chairman, Mr Solomon Agwanana, had yet to respond to calls or messages seeking his reaction. Attempts to reach Diri’s spokesman, Daniel Alabrah, were also unsuccessful.
