Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), ending weeks of speculation about his political future.
The governor was received into the ruling party on Monday in Yenagoa, the state capital, where thousands of supporters from all eight local government areas gathered to witness the event.
Many of the supporters, dressed in white T-shirts, filled major streets of Yenagoa, singing and drumming in celebration of the governor’s defection.
Diri, who recently resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said his decision to join the APC was driven by a desire to align Bayelsa with the “centre of power” for the benefit of the state.
Prominent political figures present at the event included Akwa Ibom State Governor Pastor Umo Eno, Delta State Governor Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, former Delta State Governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Ondo State Governor Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and Minister of Regional Development, Engineering Abubakar Momoh.
The defection marks a major political shift in the Niger Delta region, with analysts describing it as a move that could reshape the political landscape ahead of the next general elections.