Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Former Senate President and Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has questioned the legitimacy of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, to remain in office after dumping the PDP—the platform that brought him to power.
Wabara, reacting to Diri’s recent resignation from the PDP and his claim of being without a political party, described the governor’s action as a flagrant violation of the Nigerian Constitution.
The PDP BoT Chairman argued that by abandoning the party under whose banner he was elected, Diri had effectively disqualified himself from holding the office of governor.
According to him, the Nigerian Constitution does not currently provide for independent candidacy, and therefore, any elected official who abandons the political party that produced him should also vacate the office.
“Bayelsa State has no legitimate government at the moment following Diri’s resignation from the PDP,” Wabara declared.
He continued: “There is no government in Bayelsa State. There’s no democracy in Bayelsa State. Our constitution does not accommodate independent candidacy. For the governor to dump the party that brought him to power and claim to be ‘partyless’ is unconstitutional. Staying without a platform is an impeachable offence.”
Expressing disappointment over what he described as the growing disregard for constitutional order among politicians, Wabara asked: “What type of democracy are we practising? Nigeria is truly a place of political experimentation. How can Diri continue to see himself as the governor of Bayelsa State when he has no platform? Our constitution does not yet recognise independent candidacy.
“For him to have left the PDP and not declared for any other party means that he is no longer the governor of Bayelsa State.”
Wabara expressed confidence that the PDP would bounce back before the 2027 general elections, adding that many of those who defected would soon return to the fold.
He urged party members to remain steadfast in their loyalty, assuring that the PDP remains Nigeria’s only credible alternative for good governance.
