Nentawe Yilwatda, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has tasked Douye Diri, the governor of Bayelsa State, with delivering a significant number of votes for President Bola Tinubu and the ruling party in the general elections of 2027.
On Monday, he made these remarks during a ceremonial event in Yenagoa when Diri was officially welcomed into the APC.
“Take this broom as a symbol of authority and unity. Sweep out the PDP and ensure all votes are swept into the APC in 2027. We must secure a strong percentage of votes in Bayelsa,” Yilwatda told Diri while presenting the party’s flag to him.
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He urged the governor to bolster the APC’s base across the region, declaring Bayelsa a crucial state for the ruling party.
“Today, Bayelsa State is APC. Governor Diri is now the leader of our party in the state. The National Working Committee will liaise with him on all Bayelsa matters, and I will hold him responsible for the APC’s progress there,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima led top figures to the ceremony, which drew large crowds of supporters waving party flags and chanting slogans.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Governor Dapo Abiodun (Ogun State), Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo State), Governor Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State), Governor Hope Uzodimma (Imo State), and Governor Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom State) were also in attendance.
The event marks a major political shift in Bayelsa, a state long considered a very key part of the PDP controlled states.
Recall that Governor Diri resigned from the PDP on 15 October 2025, following extensive consultations.
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Following which he affirmed that all Bayelsa local government chairmen will follow him to his new party.
Governor Diri’s move comes amid a wave of defections by key opposition figures from the PDP to the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
