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A political pressure group, the Concerned Bayelsa Stakeholders Forum, CBSF, has called on Governor Douye Diri to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and join the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The group’s convener, Mr. Wisdom Ikuli, made the call on Tuesday in Yenagoa, encouraging stakeholders to back efforts to align Bayelsa more closely with the Federal Government.
Ikuli, who also serves as Governor Diri’s Technical Adviser on Print Media, explained that the CBSF is a non-partisan body comprising members from diverse political affiliations, including non-indigenes.
He stressed the need for Bayelsa to promptly align with the APC, claiming that numerous PDP members had allegedly colluded to deprive Bayelsa and the Ijaw people of the Presidency in 2015.
He claimed that there are plans to take advantage of the PDP’s internal disputes and ongoing court cases to disqualify candidates who emerge from the party ahead of future elections.
Ikuli emphasized that Bayelsa is now the only PDP-controlled state in the South-South and warned that it is dominated by a handful of individuals who could pose electoral threats ahead of 2027.
He disclosed that the CBSF would soon launch daily street rallies in Yenagoa to press Governor Diri to consider defecting to the ruling APC.
Ikuli maintained that the governor’s defection is crucial for Bayelsa’s interests and should be regarded as both non-negotiable and imperative.
He recalled that prominent Ijaw leaders such as Chiefs Dappa-Biriye and Melford Okilo had advocated aligning with the centre to drive development, given the region’s geographic isolation.
Ikuli said past alignment with the PDP, while it ruled nationally, enabled Bayelsa to produce both Vice President and President in Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
He lamented that the Ijaws are now sidelined from key federal positions such as the Presidency, Vice Presidency, and Service Chiefs, which has diminished their political influence.
“In spite of their population and contribution, Ijaws remain marginalised due to lack of alignment with the ruling party,” Ikuli added.
He argued that the Ijaws, who contribute over 65 percent of Nigeria’s oil wealth, have become powerless because they are not aligned with the Federal Government.
Ikuli explained Nigeria’s North-South power rotation system, stressing that the South must complete its eight-year turn under President Bola Tinubu’s current administration.
He noted that Tinubu is committed to strengthening the South and has appointed several Ijaw sons and daughters into key positions.
Ikuli appreciated Tinubu’s appointments, including Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri as Oil Minister and Chief Samuel Ogbuku as NDDC Managing Director.
He also mentioned Chief Ebitimi Amgbare as NDDBA Managing Director and Preye Aganaba as Executive Director at the South South Development Commission.
Ikuli thanked the President for approving the federal takeover of the Nembe-Brass Road Second Phase, a key project linking Bayelsa to the Atlantic Ocean.
He said this development shows Tinubu’s commitment to Bayelsa and urged the governor to show solidarity by joining Southern APC governors.
Ikuli further stated that aligning with the Federal Government is essential to actualize the Agge Seaport project, which would stimulate economic growth and secure prosperity for the state.
