‘He’s coming empty-handed’ — Nabena reacts to Diri’s planned defection to APC

Yekini Nabena, a former deputy national publicity secretaryof the All Progressives Congress (APC), says Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa,has nothing to offer the party amid reports of his planned defection. On October 15, Diri resigned from the Peoples DemocraticParty (PDP) during a cabinet meeting at the government house in Yenagoa, thestate capital. Speaking with journalists on Friday in Abuja, Nabena allegedthat Diri’s planned move to the APC on Monday was part of a wider plan to “takefull control” of the party in the state. He said Diri would be joining the APC “empty-handed”,claiming that major political figures in the Bayelsa chapter of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) were not defecting with him. “Let me put it on record that we are not saying the governorshould not join the APC. It is a democracy and he has the right to join anyparty,” Nabena said. “The fact we will not take is for him to destroy some peopleand the existing leadership of the APC in Bayelsa state because he wants totake full control of the party. “We have traced the recent happenings in Bayelsa state toGovernor Douye Diri’s camp, especially the arrest rumours of NDDC managingdirector, Dr Samuel Ogbuku. The plan is to destroy the existing organs andprominent members of the party before he (Governor Diri) formally defects toAPC on Monday.” The APC chieftain questioned what value Diri’s defectionwould bring to the party, alleging that the governor was losing support evenwithin his own camp. “But up till now, we have not found an answer to thequestion of what Governor Douye Diri is bringing to the APC,” Nabena said. “This is a governor whose deputy is not defecting with him,hence he is plotting to impeach the deputy governor. “This is a governor that even some state house of assemblymembers have rejected. About 90 per cent of the serving national assemblymembers, including Senator Dickson and other high-profile lawmakers, are not onthe same page with him. “This is a governor who is not in control of his localconstituency, not to talk of his entire senatorial district. We ask GovernorDouye Diri again to tell Nigerians who is running after him or what he isrunning after.” On Wednesday, Sunday Agadaga, senator representing Bayelsaeast, resigned from the PDP and defected to the APC. On October 16, Benson Konbowei, senator representing Bayelsacentral, resigned from the PDP, saying he had lost faith in the PDP’s capacityto function as an effective opposition or win elections in the country.

Read More