Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has postponed his anticipated defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing ongoing internal negotiations between key party leaders Timipre Sylva and Heineken Lokpobiri over control of the party’s structure in the state.
The delay comes just days after Diri formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sparking political tension across Bayelsa. While APC insiders had hinted that Diri’s defection could be formalized as early as next week, sources close to the governor revealed that he is exercising caution to avoid deepening existing rifts within the APC’s Bayelsa chapter.
Former Ijaw Youth Council President and APC chieftain Udengs Eradiri has publicly welcomed Diri’s move but urged him to first convene a stakeholders’ meeting to reconcile the factions led by Sylva, a former governor and pioneer APC leader in the state, and Lokpobiri, the current Minister of State for Petroleum Resources. Eradiri warned that excluding either camp could prove counterproductive and undermine party unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The PDP, meanwhile, has criticized Diri’s exit as a betrayal of the mandate on which he was elected, though party officials have remained largely silent on the matter. Political observers note that Diri’s defection could reshape Bayelsa’s political landscape, especially if he succeeds in consolidating APC’s fragmented leadership.