Bayelsa Guber: Gov Diri’s Aide, Former Loyalist, Others, Defect To APC

Barely two months before the Bayelsa State Gubernatorial election, a serving Special Assistant to Governor Douye Diri, Doubara Benjamin and a grassroots mobiliser, Bodmas Prince Kemepadei, and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyalists have formally defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Naija News learnt that the latest development took place over the weekend at a rally tagged, ‘Sagbama Wake Up!’, organised by a former deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, Yekini Nabena and coordinated by the Deputy Chairman of the APC, Sagbama Local Government Area party from the LGA, Francis Kolokolo.

The event brought together APC leaders, members, support groups in Sagbama and supporters from neighbouring Ekeremor.

Diri’s aide was accompanied by a host of other defectors, including the Labour Party (LP) chairman, Sagbama Ward 11, and Diepriye Apelebiri, among others.

Other defectors and their followers were Gideon Ogufe, a retired Assistant Police Commissioner, ACP, former Youth President from Okumbiri; Akposeye Odonil, an activist; Oweifabo Felix Ebikeme, former State Chairman, Change Advocacy Party, CAP, Dime Jonah and the Youth President of Agorogbene Community, Goodluck Dime.

The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the APC, Joshua Maciver, who received the defectors at the rally, commended them for taking bold steps to work for the APC.

Maciver added that with the recent defectors, there is no doubt that APC would win the governorship election in November.

He said, “When we were coming to this rally, we did not know we were coming to receive defectors. We thought we were coming to thank the people and canvass for their votes. But when we got here, we saw many opposition members dumping their parties for the APC. It goes without saying that APC is a party to beat in Bayelsa.

“In Bayelsa State, two months to the election, you already know who is winning the election. Let us not deceive ourselves, this one is already clear that the APC has already won the election.

“Everybody knows that we are going to win Brass.LGA, we will win Nembe LGA,, we will win Ogbia LGA, Southern Ijaw LGA is a no-go area, we will win Ekeremor, Yenagoa is everybody’s place. The only two LGAs likely to go to them is contestable. We enjoin the people of Sagbama to come out en masse to cast their votes as we are very sure that the APC will sweep the poll on November 11, 2023.”