Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), marking another major political defection within the party’s ranks.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, via a post on Facebook, confirming that Diri’s resignation was accompanied by that of 23 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
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Douye Diri |
While the governor has not yet declared his next political move, speculation is rife following previous reports linking some of his aides to The NEW Associates, a grassroots political movement with ties to President Bola Tinubu and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
In May, 27 political aides to Governor Diri were reportedly dismissed for attending the inauguration of the Bayelsa chapter of The NEW Associates and participating in a pro-Tinubu rally.
Diri’s resignation comes barely 24 hours after Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah also dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing alignment with the party’s “vision for development and progress.”
The latest defection deepens the political crisis within the PDP, as it struggles to retain key figures amid growing defections to the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.