Yekini Nabena
Yekini Nabena, a former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa, has nothing to offer the party amid reports of his planned defection.
On October 15, Diri resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during a cabinet meeting at the government house in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Speaking with journalists on Friday in Abuja, Nabena alleged that Diri’s planned move to the APC on Monday was part of a wider plan to “take full control” of the party in the state.
He said Diri would be joining the APC “empty-handed”, claiming that major political figures in the Bayelsa chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were not defecting with him.
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“Let me put it on record that we are not saying the governor should not join the APC. It is a democracy and he has the right to join any party,” Nabena said.
“The fact we will not take is for him to destroy some people and the existing leadership of the APC in Bayelsa state because he wants to take full control of the party.
“We have traced the recent happenings in Bayelsa state to Governor Douye Diri’s camp, especially the arrest rumours of NDDC managing director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku. The plan is to destroy the existing organs and prominent members of the party before he (Governor Diri) formally defects to APC on Monday.”
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The APC chieftain questioned what value Diri’s defection would bring to the party, alleging that the governor was losing support even within his own camp.
“But up till now, we have not found an answer to the question of what Governor Douye Diri is bringing to the APC,” Nabena said.
“This is a governor whose deputy is not defecting with him, hence he is plotting to impeach the deputy governor.
“This is a governor that even some state house of assembly members have rejected. About 90 per cent of the serving national assembly members, including Senator Dickson and other high-profile lawmakers, are not on the same page with him.
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“This is a governor who is not in control of his local constituency, not to talk of his entire senatorial district. We ask Governor Douye Diri again to tell Nigerians who is running after him or what he is running after.”
On Wednesday, Sunday Agadaga, senator representing Bayelsa east, resigned from the PDP and defected to the APC.
On October 16, Benson Konbowei, senator representing Bayelsa central, resigned from the PDP, saying he had lost faith in the PDP’s capacity to function as an effective opposition or win elections in the country.
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