By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
2027: Yilwatda Tasks Diri to Deliver Bayelsa Votes to Tinubu as Governor Defects to Ruling APC
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and promising to deliver strong support for the ruling party in the 2027 general elections.
The APC National Chairman, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, led the welcoming ceremony in Yenagoa on Monday, where he formally presented the party flag to Diri and urged him to “sweep” Bayelsa into the APC’s column.
“Take this broom as a symbol of unity and authority. Sweep out the PDP and ensure Bayelsa delivers all its votes to the APC in 2027,” Yilwatda declared, as a cheering crowd waved party flags.
Yilwatda described Bayelsa as a strategic state for the APC, announcing that Diri would now serve as the party’s leader in the state.
“From today, Bayelsa belongs to the APC, and Governor Diri will drive the change,” he said.
The event drew top APC figures including Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom).
Diri’s move marks a dramatic political shift in the Niger Delta, a region long dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The governor resigned from the PDP on October 15, 2025, after what he described as “extensive consultations,” and later confirmed that all Bayelsa local government chairmen and 23 members of the State House of Assembly had joined him in the defection.
His departure deepens the crisis rocking the PDP, which has been battling leadership squabbles and a wave of high-profile defections. In recent months, governors from Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Enugu have also crossed over to the APC.
With less than two years to the 2027 elections, Diri’s defection underscores the growing political realignments as the ruling party seeks to consolidate its influence across Nigeria’s oil-rich South-South region.
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