Douye Diri Set to Dump PDP, Join APC on Monday

Douye Diri, the governor of Bayelsa State, is set to officially join the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, Patriotic Insights News has learned.

Reliable sources revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC governors, and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) will formally receive Diri into the ruling party.

According to insiders familiar with the development, Diri, who resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on October 15, has been in discreet negotiations with top APC figures to finalise his defection plans.

A senior party source disclosed that the delay in Diri’s official defection was to ensure a “smooth integration of the PDP bloc into the APC’s Bayelsa structure” and to “avoid internal friction” ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The move marks one of the most significant political realignments in the South-South region since 2023, signalling the APC’s renewed push to strengthen its foothold in the oil-rich zone long dominated by the PDP.

In recent months, the PDP has suffered a wave of high-profile defections, including several members of the National Assembly, further weakening its national influence.

The exodus has not been confined to lawmakers alone. So far in 2025, the PDP has lost four sitting governors — Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), and now Douye Diri (Bayelsa).

These departures have reduced the PDP’s control to just eight states, amid growing speculation that Taraba Governor Agbu Kefas may be the next to cross over to the APC.