Bayelsa governor Diri defects to APC, gets hero’s welcome from Shettima
By Kunle Sanni –
Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, was filled with excitement on Monday as Governor Douye Diri officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at a grand rally held at the Samson Siasia Sports Stadium, formally received the governor and his supporters into the ruling party.
Describing the event as “one of those rare and redemptive moments in Nigeria’s political history,” Shettima praised Governor Diri’s decision, saying it reflected Bayelsa’s preference for “the light of national integration over the shadows of political isolation.”
“This is not a ceremony of convenience but a celebration of conviction,” the Vice President said. “Governor Diri has chosen the harder right over the easier wrong, showing that Bayelsa State believes in unity and progress.”
Shettima noted that President Tinubu’s political philosophy was based on inclusion, not division, and that Diri’s move symbolised a “political reunion with a progressive mind.”
He assured the governor that the APC would judge him not by his past affiliations but by his vision for the future, describing the defection as “not a depletion of the opposition but a confirmation of Nigeria’s democratic freedom of choice.”
“Governor Diri is a son of the creeks who has built literal and political bridges across the Niger Delta,” Shettima said, adding that the governor’s track record in health, education, and infrastructure would enrich the APC family.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio also commended Diri’s decision, calling it “a defining moment for the Ijaw nation and the South-South region.” He praised Diri’s infrastructural projects in Yenagoa, especially his road construction efforts despite the state’s challenging terrain.
