Barely 24 hours after the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah joined the ruling party, the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The Governor made the announcement on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, during the expanded State Executive Council meeting, which was attended by the leadership of the House of Assembly.
Diri said he is resigning his membership of the PDP along with the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Honorable Abraham Ingobere, other members of the State Assembly, elected Local Govt officials, his commissioners and other appointees.
He said, “While this decision has become imperative for obvious reasons, I would like to appreciate our supporters and the good people of Bayelsa State for your understanding.
“We will remain very focused on our developmental agenda and I urge you to continue working for the common good of our state and country. Nua! Umbana!”.
Earlier, the Enugu state gov, in a televised broadcast on Tuesday, described his defection move as a “decision made after deep reflection” and one he believes is in the best interest of the people of the State.
He expressed confidence that his decision would bring about a new era of development and progress to Enugu State, saying the voice of Enugu people and indeed that of the South-East people would now be heard in Abuja.
Meanwhile, the PDP had already lost three governors to the APC this year, and with this development, the opposition party is left with eight governors.
Also, in another development, Murray-Bruce, who represented Bayelsa East in the 8th National Assembly, has announced his defection in a Facebook post on Wednesday, describing Tinubu as “a man of courage and conviction.”
He expressed his belief that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, characterized by both courage and intellect, the Nigeria we have all aspired to will be realized.
According to him, “For the first time in our nation’s history, we have a President who truly understands finance, who sees the economy not as a political slogan, but as a living organism that must be disciplined, deregulated, and allowed to breathe.
“The painful reforms we face today are the very foundation of tomorrow’s prosperity. We are moving into a free-market economy, one that rewards hard work and innovation instead of dependency and distortion.
“Look around you: under this administration, the appointment of the National Security Adviser has redefined our national safety architecture. “Insecurity is being quietly and systematically dismantled. The Central Bank, now professionally steered, is stabilizing the economy, rebuilding confidence, and restoring the dignity of the naira.
“Our foreign policy is again respected. Our fuel supply is deregulated. We will never again live through the humiliation of fuel scarcity. The numbers are beginning to speak, investments are returning, and the world is watching Nigeria rise again.
“And beyond economics, Bola Tinubu’s infrastructural drive is unprecedented; from massive road networks to modernized ports, airports and housing schemes springing up across the nation.
“These developments are not just concrete and steel; they are the arteries through which growth and opportunity now flow. “I know it is still a difficult season for many families. But as history teaches, reform is never painless. Yet, it is in these moments of sacrifice that nations are reborn”, Murray-Bruce said.
Reacting to this development, the State PDP Chairmen Forum has condemned the APC for its undemocratic, desperate, and systematic efforts to intimidate, harass, and coerce its leaders—including governors, senators, and members of the National and State Assemblies—into defecting.
The condemnation was made at the forum of State Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at the PDP Secretariat, Abuja, under the chairmanship of Edward Percy Masha, Acting Secretary of the Forum.
The Forum described these acts as an assault on democracy, warning that the ruling party’s conduct is a dangerous step toward establishing a de facto one-party state, which Nigerians must collectively resist.
