Diri’s defection: Bayelsa has left politics of isolation — Tinubu

The president of Nigeria, Senator Bola Tinubu has commended the governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, for dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that his defection has moved the state out of politics of isolation.

President Tinubu who was represented by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, during the formal defection of Senator Diri at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa, added that the governor made the right decision and would get more support from the Federal Government.

According to him, “politics is about development, politics is beyond making noise, politics is beyond being in opposition. Governor Diri, we are proud of you, you have made the right decision, you have led with calm dignity, but beneath that calm you brought your commitment to development, unity and progress.

“You have expanded roads to remote communities and that is assurance that they are not forgotten. You have built bridges where there are barriers, you have built hope where there was darkness and this is what its means to govern with empathy.

“From the Sagbama/Ekeremor highway to the Yenagoa/Oporoma Bridge, you have connected lives. From classrooms to clinics, you have proven that good governance is not about noise, but about impact.

“You are now part of the progressive family, a family that thinks and acts together. So we welcome you onboard to watch and support you as champion.You have already been one.

“From the health reforms that give hope to the sick, to the schools that are openly gates of opportunity to thousands of Ijaw children, we are here to restore the confidence and dignity of those who have lost faith in government.

“President Bola Tinubu has shown time and again that politics is not war. It is the art of building bridges across rivers of difference. And so, no one understands this metaphor more profoundly than a son of the creeks, who has built literal and political bridges across the waters of the Niger Delta.

“This is for us a political reunion with a progressive mind. You have always been a progressive. And here, in the presence of the number three citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I have a simple message for you from the President and from the Chairman.

“As for the APC Constitution, the Governor is the leader of the party in the state. What binds us together supersedes whatever that divides us. We are one party with a common destiny. And here in this gathering.”

Welcoming Governor Douye Diri into All Progressive Party, the National chairman of APC Prof. Nentawe Yiltwada ,thanked the people of bayelsa for taking the decision to joined the party at center.

“Let me thank the people of bayelsa for taking a u turn in the right direction. The fishermen have spoken. The farmers have spoken. Ijaw Nation has spoken.The South South has spoken.The traders and workers have spoken in one voice.

“Bayelsa said that we are now APC. On behalf of the national working committee and billions of APC supporters across the country and the well wishers of the country across the world, we welcome your Excellency the governor of Bayelsa State senator Douye Diri’ to our big family where there are enough mansions to accommodate everybody.

“Today Bayelsa State is APC. Bayelsa State is too critical for us to leave it to be disrupted.We saw everything doing good in bayelsa , we welcome you to the APC family.

“Today I give you the flag of APC as the leader of the party in bayelsa state. Anything concerning Bayelsa State the national working committee will contact diri and we will hold him responsible for anything concerning APC in the state.

“Today you take over as the leader of our party in the state. With this flag we want you to sweep out PDP and sweep all the votes to APC in 2027. We must have 100%vote in bayelsa.

“Take this as symbol of strength and authority and make it stronger. We hang this mopbler to you as a symbol of ownership. You are fully decorated as God give you the strength to work till 2027 and deliver President TInubu.”

In his speech, the new defector, Senator Douye Diri, said after wide consultations and careful consideration, he has formally joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that it is a strategic decision taken in the best interests of the people and to accelerate development of the state

“Rest assured, we will work collaboratively with existing organs to strengthen the party for the serious work ahead, leveraging our collective strengths and goodwill to drive the party’s growth and success. Together, we can achieve important goals and take our party to greater heights.

“I am grateful for the leadership and accommodation of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I am convinced that the fiscal and policy restructuring underway and the renewed focus on infrastructure and service delivery offer opportunities for the collective benefit of Nigerians.

“I pledge to continue to work constructively with the federal government and support President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.”