The camp of the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, was depleted on Monday as some of his principal aides and the state youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Nunieh Odede, dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva.

Odede announced his resignation from the PDP in a handwritten letter while the governor’s top aides formally vacated their offices to campaign for Sylva ahead of the November 11 polls.

A statement signed by Sylva’s Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Julius Bokoru, confirmed that Odede and the other defectors had held a meeting with the APC flagbearer.

It listed the aides who abandoned Diri to pitch tent with Sylva as a director in the state environmental sanitation authority, Abiah Oyisor; three of the governor’s special advisers on special duties, Itu Goodluck, Timipa Ile and Olali Suwofien as well as his special representative in Yenagoa LGA, Ayaye Obuma.

Odede in the meeting, said, “We have spent years with the PDP and we built the party to where it is. We must move on now in the light of what is happening in the state.

“Bayelsa is in a comatose state and we cannot keep doing the old things and expect to get it right. Our resignations from the PDP, honestly, is to save our dear state from further ruin.”

The statement quoted Sylva as commending Odede and others for their courage and for choosing the progress and development of the state over selfish gains.

“Youths are always the driving force of every society, youths also embody and give a trajectory of what the future would look like. Your decisions today are heroic and selfless, you have placed state over self and beyond even the elections, you instil in us all that Bayelsa state is bound to do well.”

It stated that they would be received at a formal defection ceremony with thousands of their supporters following their resignations from the PDP and endorsement of APC and Sylva.

It said the defections had eroded the PDP governorship candidate’s chances of winning Yenagoa, the state capital, and particularly the Epie and Atissa kingdoms where Sylva was believed to be making political inroads.

The statement also confirmed that recently the APC deputy governorship candidate, Joshua Maciver, received thousands of defectors from Sagbama LGA and the home of the incumbent deputy governor of the state.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/bayelsa-pdp-youth-leader-diris-top-aides-join-apc/%3famp

Timipre sylva is making the right moves.he might just win bayelsa

The outgoing bayelsa state governor should prepare his hand over notes immediately

Waste of time and resources. Any living being still supporting the evil party call APC deserves death sentence by hanging.

garfield1:
Timipre sylva is making the right moves.he might just win bayelsa

David Lyon would have been better.

GeneralPula:

David Lyon would have been better.

True but sylva dominates the party.he sacrificed the ticket in 2019.he has only a term to do

yarimo:
The outgoing bayelsa state governor should prepare his hand over notes immediately

I was thinking it would be an easy victory for him but with tinubu winning nembe and ogbia and sylva holding brass,sylva has a big chance.all he needs is to capture southern ijaw and divide yenagoa.sagbama and kolga are no go areas.

Before nkor?

Hmmm issokay.. what do we even expect from Nigeria politicians before

Insignificant

Alright noted let see

Las las APC running mate go carry victory give PDP if at all dem win

Very well in order. Nigeria must become a one party state. APC till forever. The progressives must keep ruling

i think it's time for both parties to hands off that State let a serious minded person govern the place...

Politics 101

Xscape1993:
Waste of time and resources. Any living being still supporting the evil party call APC deserves death sentence by hanging.

If you have nothing useful to say,waka

Obi go soon follow suit. Datti's elder brother is smiling now

abobote:
Insignificant

A whole state party leader and aides to a governor? It is very crucial

Usual move by Nigerian polithief

D

GeneralPula:

David Lyon would have been better.

David Lyon working with sylva and he will be giving appointment soon by Tinubu.

Sylva is making drastic moves in Bayelsa.

Gov Diri has lost lots of PDP heavy weights.

Gov Diri should begin to prepare his handover note.

We are on ground in Bayelsa and only us can tell the situation of things in Bayelsa

garfield1:


A whole state party leader and aides to a governor? It is very crucial

Same thing happened in the build up to the Edo election but Obaseki won.

garfield1:


https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/bayelsa-pdp-youth-leader-diris-top-aides-join-apc/%3famp

Inconsequential decampees, it happened in Edo, Obaseki still won. Politics is about business and money exchanging hands.

Money is talking

People living far away from Bayelsa now predicting who is loved and who will win the election.

Who is competent is never the question or the criteria in Nigeria's leadership skills.

The contestation will be high...Silva never finished his tenure as he was booted out disgracefully... David Lyon was a litmus test

Diri will still win.

AkumTemi:


Inconsequential decampees, it happened in Edo, Obaseki still won. Politics is about business and money exchanging hands.

Oga,an aide or a state youth leader is not inconsequential except you don't play politics.Apc wouldn't push them to decamp if they are unimportant.
The scenarios in Edo is different from bayelsa.in Edo,the people were sympathetic to Obaseki and saw oshiomhole as a bad godfather.he appealed to the masses.wike campaigned for obaseki plus pdp were united but some in apc like El rufai,fayemi supported obaseki.in bayelsa,diri is not popular.he hasn't performed well.no wike to help him,bayelsa pdp is divided.he is not rugged like obaseki or sylva.