Vice President Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and Governors Peter Mbah and Umo Eno were among top politicians who attended the official defection of Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Announcing his move on X Monday, Diri wrote, “The time is here! We have made our decision to join the Renewed Hope family.”
Speaking earlier at the Bayelsa Thanksgiving Day in Yenagoa, the governor said his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in the best interest of the state, adding that “someone had to take the first step.”
He noted that while some may not immediately understand his choice, time would reveal it was driven by selflessness and a desire for Bayelsa’s progress.
Diri also commended the show of unity among political leaders at the event, stressing that politics should promote peace and development, not division.
His defection marks a major political shift in Bayelsa, a state long regarded as a PDP stronghold since 1999.
