Our Reporter, Abuja
The political fortune of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered another major blow on Wednesday as the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, announced his resignation from the party.
The governor’s decision was made public through a Facebook post by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, who confirmed that Diri had formally withdrawn his membership from the PDP.
According to Alabrah, the governor’s resignation was accompanied by that of all 23 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, signaling a massive political realignment in the state.
Governor Diri’s exit comes barely 24 hours after his Enugu State counterpart, Dr. Peter Mbah, also dumped the PDP for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ikengaonline had reported that Governor Mbah, during a press conference on Tuesday, said his defection to the APC was motivated by his commitment to “better serve the people of Enugu” and align with the APC’s “vision for development and progress.”
Mbah had formally joined the APC alongside his predecessor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as well as several state and federal lawmakers.
In a statewide broadcast, the Enugu governor emphasized that his decision to leave the PDP was borne out of the need to operate within a platform that truly represents and protects the interests of the people.
With Diri’s defection, analysts say the once-dominant PDP is fast losing its grip on the South-South and the South-East regions, where it had maintained a stronghold since 1999.
With the exit of Governor Douye Diri, the only PDP governor in the South-South for now remains Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State who analysts predict already has one foot in the ruling APC.
