Bayelsa gov rejects APC’s overtures, reaffirms commitment to PDP

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, yesterday, disclosed that he has rejected overtures of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that he is committed to the PDP.

Although he expressed appreciation to the APC for acknowledging that his administration was performing in the state in terms of development and good governance, he insisted that asking him to dump PDP was unfortunate, provocative and undesirable.

A former Deputy Governor of the state, Peremobowei Ebebi, had at the weekend, during APC’s stakeholder meeting in Ekeremor Council asked Diri to leave the PDP, which he described as “a sinking ship.”

But reacting to the comment through his Director New Media, Kola Oredipe, the governor declared that he remained a committed member and one of the leaders of the PDP in the country, stressing that he has no reason to quit the party now or in the near future.

Diri described the call from the APC leaders as unfortunate, provoking and unwelcome, adding: “It will politically suicidal to leave the only party to a party that has no root and structure in Bayelsa State.

“Ebebi must be a joker. We know him for many acts of theatrics and at this time too, it is no different. He had admitted that the governor was not doing badly, meaning that the PDP was on the right track, why then join a party that has taken Nigeria many years back? He asked.

He wondered whether Ebebi was not aware of high profile members of the APC who have since joined the PDP and aligned with the vision of the Diri’s prosperity government for a united and greater Bayelsa State.

“Where was Ebebi when several members of APC returned to the PDP? He knows APC ranks have been depleted and that is why he is calling on them to return, but it is too late. We have accommodated them in PDP.

“We know Ebebi is not fulfilled where he is. He should be the one to come back to the PDP. For now, he has no electoral values in his Aleibiri Community in Ekeremor Council. This was revealed in the Bayelsa West Senatorial election, which he contested late last year and lost. He must now be looking for relevance in his new party,” he added.