50,000 PDP, LP, Other Members Join APC in Bayelsa, Declare for Sylva
- The Bayelsa state chapter of the PDP suffered a grave loss a few weeks before the November gubernatorial election
- Major members of Governor Douye Diri's camp and other members of the Labour Party decamped to the opposition party in the state, the APC
- The defectors declared their support for Timipre Sylva and noted that their decision was backed by the resolve to rescue the state from doom under the PDP
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Yenagoa, Bayelsa state - Ahead of the Saturday, November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa state, about fifty thousand (50,000) leaders, aides to Governor Douye Diri and members of other political parties have decamped to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Source: Facebook
Some of the defectors are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP), among others.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to Legit.ng on Thursday, September 29.
They were received at the party secretariat in Yenagoa by the APC national chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who was represented by the deputy national chairman, North, Alhaji Ali Delore.
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Details of PDP, LP members that defected to the APC in Bayelsa
Among those who defected were two former commissioners, Chief Saviour Ibegu (from Ogbia local government area) and Chief Diodei Week ( from Southern Ijaw LGA).
Three former local government chairmen, Victor Isiah (Brass), Nathaniel Sylva (Brass) and Ebinyu Turner ( Ogbia), also defected.
Nathaniel Sylva, who was a senior special assistant to Governor Douye Diri, said he decided to leave the PDP to team up with the APC governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, to rescue the state.
Why Diri's aide, others defected to APC
Stating the reasons for leaving PDP, Isaiah explained that the APC and its governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva, have the requisite experience and support of people at the grassroots to become the next governor of Bayelsa state.
Also speaking, Chief Ibegu noted that the Ogbia people have benefited from the leadership of Sylva with the appointment of their son, Samuel Ogbuku as the managing director, Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC), and it is now time to reciprocate his love for Ogbia people by voting for him.
Ogbuku declared that the Ogbia people are grateful people and have decided to pay back the love Sylva has for Ogbia Kingdom by voting massively for him.
Receiving the decampees, the APC governorship candidate and the immediate-past minister of state for petroleum said they would be fully integrated into the APC fold.
Sylva urged the new members to go out and work for the success of the APC in the forthcoming November 11 governorship election in the state.
The former governor said some of the decampees, numbering about fifty thousand, were special advisers to the current Bayelsa state governor, Douye Diri.
Sylva also added that "no stone will be left unturned to ensure victory at the November poll."
He revealed that w serving Commissioner in the State Executive Council has also indicated interest to join the APC from the PDP but was threatened with eviction from his place of abode by the Diri's administration.
Sylva declared that "no amount of intimidation and desperation by the PDP government in the state can stop the APC from winning the governorship election."
Gombe governor tells Bayelsa people to vote APC
Also speaking, Gome state governor and the chairman, Bayelsa state National Governorship Campaign Council, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, urged the decampees to ensure that "APC takes over the state in the coming election so as to connect Bayelsa to the centre."
The Gombe state governor also urged both the new and old members to take the message of hope and development to the nook and crannies of the state in order to drum up support for the party’s gubernatorial candidate.
Bayelsa governor's aide dumps PDP
Earlier, the camp of the PDP in Bayelsa state, headed by Governor Douye Diri, suffered a major loss.
On Monday, September 18, some of Governor Diri's principal aides and the state youth leader of the PDP, Nunieh Odede, dumped the party for the APC and declared support for Sylva.
Sylva’s special adviser, media and publicity, Julius Bokoru, confirmed the development in a statement and noted that Odede and the other defectors had held a meeting with the APC flagbearer.
Source: Legit.ng
