By Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has defended his decision to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the move was guided by personal conviction and the overriding interest of the state’s development.
Governor Diri, who resigned from the PDP on October 15, 2025, was formally received into the APC on November 3, 2025, in Yenagoa, at an event attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and other senior party leaders.
Speaking on Monday night during the January edition of the monthly Praise Night at the Government House, Yenagoa, the governor described politics as dynamic, noting that alignments and realignments were inevitable when public interest is at stake.
“There is no static nature in politics because we have alignments and re-alignments,” Diri said in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah. “The development and progress of our state is the reason we are in politics.”
Reflecting on his political journey, the governor recalled moving from the National Solidarity Movement to the PDP, later to the Labour Party, back to the PDP, and now to the APC.
“I do not just take decisions. I consult, I pray and my spirit tells me where I should go,” he said. “Assuming I did not move previously, maybe I would not have become governor today. So in politics, movement is allowed. Changing camps is allowed, but do it out of conviction. Do not be a slave to anyone.”
Diri urged politicians to place the future of their states above personal loyalties or grievances, asking whether leaders intend to bequeath unity and development or confusion and enmity to future generations.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to consolidating development projects across the state despite prevailing challenges.
On infrastructure, the governor expressed optimism that the 630-metre bridge across the River Nun at Angiama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area would be completed in the first quarter of 2026.
Regarding the Nembe–Brass road project, Diri said although full completion may not be achieved this year, the first phase under his administration would progress significantly, reducing boat travel time to Brass to less than 20 minutes.
He also spoke on improvements in the power sector, describing the acquisition of Bayelsa State’s 60-megawatt gas turbines as a landmark achievement and a first of its kind in the country, aimed at creating an enabling environment for economic growth.
The governor expressed appreciation to clergy, Bayelsans, security agencies and other stakeholders for their support during the peaceful burial of his late deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
Clarifying reports of a rift between him and the late deputy governor over his defection, Diri said there was no such conflict. He explained that Ewhrudjakpo had approached the court over impeachment concerns without prior consultation but later apologised and agreed to withdraw the suit.
“Nobody could have impeached him if I did not approve of it,” the governor said.
In his sermon at the event, Apostle David Zilly-Aggrey, General Overseer of the Royal House of Grace International Church, commended the state government for sustaining the Praise Night initiative and offered prayers for what he described as the “Prosperity Government” to end its tenure strongly.
