October 20, (THEWILL) — Tension is mounting in Bayelsa State following reactions to Governor Duoye Diri’s resignation from the governing Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, alongside members of his cabinet, 23 members of the State House of Assembly, eight local government chairmen and a Senator on October 16, 2025.
Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, an Assembly member, Senator Sierake Dickson and many state PDP stakeholders, who have vehemently rejected and criticised the resignation and affirmed their loyalty to the PDP, have drawn the battle line with the governor, daring him to initiate the reported impeachment proceedings against his deputy.
THEWILL gathered that Ewhrudjakpor is a political godson of Senator Dickson, Diri’s predecessor and he has pledged his loyalty to his godfather and the PDP, which he still considers a grassroots party in the state.
For this, Governor Diri did not invite his deputy to the public announcement of his resignation at the Government House last Thursday. But the governor seems helpless to move against his deputy.
Fearing that moving against his deputy would plunge the state into political crisis and affect his plan as his is yet to formally announce his defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC, the governor is said to be wary of an immediate backlash from the grassroots, many of whom are still divided over his decision, which they consider too sudden.
Apart from his loyalty to Senator Dickson, the deputy governor is said to enjoy the support of the party’s followers at the grassroots level as he is seen as an anchor for their opposition to Diri’s planned defection.
Governor Diri and Ewhrudjakpo are both serving their second tenure in office together. They were elected on a joint PDP ticket in 2019 and assumed office in 2020. They were re-elected under the same platform in 2023.
Ewhrudjakpo, a lawyer and seasoned politician, served as the lawmaker representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District between 2019 and 2020 in the 9th National Assembly. He has also held various leadership positions, including Chairman of the Nigerian International Coastal Border Platform, which focuses on harmonising maritime laws and combating piracy and other maritime-related crimes.
A government source confided in THEWILL that the governor’s resignation was shocking to many party members because until the last minutes, they thought he was still very active in the affairs of the party at the national level where he served as Chairman of the PDP 46-member of its upcoming Convention Zoning Committee in Ibadan in November. They also feel let down that he has capitulated to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, with whom he recently had an altercation over some party members who recently declared allegiance to the Minister.
However, party members who are in support of the governor’s resignation say he has only outsmarted his enemies. They allege that Senator Dickson, who openly kicked against his successor’s resignation, is eying the African Democratic Congress, ADC and is only waiting for the right time to defect from the PDP.
Dickson has however denied any defection plan. He said, “I am where I have always been. I don’t believe Nigeria should become a one-party state. As a democrat, I understand the ups and downs of the process, but I remain constant and steadfast in the PDP.
Meanwhile, fresh insights have emerged as to why Governor Diri resigned from the party. Sources say some prominent stakeholders have been urging the governor to defect to the APC to attract development and Federal presence to the state.
According to the Technical Adviser to the governor on Media and Political Affairs, Mr Wisdom Ikuli, the Ijaws being the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria have contributed immensely towards the development of the country yet the state remains underdevelopment and marginalised. Joining the ruling party at the centre could reverse the situation.
Ikuli said, “The ljaws have been relegated and rendered politically and economically impotence, because we are not at the central government”
Also, he identified regional politics as another reason for the resignation of his boss, saying, “Bayelsa State is standing alone in the whole South – South region. This state of affairs presents possible challenges and fear that the PDP in Bayelsa might be hijacked by a few persons and that is a very dangerous trap that they have set for the state in 2027.”
The state chapter of the PDP has lamented the governor’s resignation from the party and vowed to reclaim the governorship in 2027.
Aluasote Wright Derri, the Acting Secretary of the party in Bayelsa state, said, “On this dark day in our history, we acknowledge the sacrifices of our heroes past and present who gave their all in building the People’s Democratic Party as a true Ijaw party. These individuals fought tirelessly to sustain and uphold the party, handing the baton of leadership from the late Chief DSP Alamieyesegha to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Timipre Sylva, Henry Seriake Dickson and Douye Diri. Each of these leaders has contributed significantly to the growth and development of our party in Bayelsa State.
“Regrettably, the efforts of our heroes past and present have, by the actions of today’s leadership, been torn into pieces and wasted, leaving behind a sad memory of the departed and a lifetime of pain for those still with us. It is disheartening that Bayelsa is no longer a PDP state at this time. However, we assure our members, supporters, Bayelsans and the entire Ijaw nation that this situation is temporary. This is not going to last, as we are committed to working diligently to reclaim our mandates and return the PDP flag and colours to Government House, Yenagoa come 2027.”
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
