Bayelsa State has been rocked by a major political shakeup as Governor Douye Diri has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to reports, Diri’s defection comes with 23 members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, including Speaker Abraham Ngobere, in what insiders are calling a mass exodus from the opposition party.
The dramatic move comes barely 24 hours after Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, also jumped ship to the APC — fuelling speculation of a coordinated realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sources say the Bayelsa governor and his loyalists are expected to make a formal declaration in the coming days, after holding a series of closed-door meetings with top APC leaders in Abuja.
The latest defection marks another heavy blow for the PDP, which has now lost four sitting governors to the APC this year — shrinking its control to just eight states nationwide.
Governor Diri’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, has since confirmed the development in a post on his verified social media handle, describing it as “a bold step taken in the interest of Bayelsa.”
With the political tide turning rapidly across the South-South, analysts say the move could redraw Nigeria’s political map ahead of 2027 — and send fresh ripples through the ranks of the opposition.
