2027: Diri charges Bayelsa APC to deny opposition 25% votes

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has charged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to intensify grassroots mobilisation to ensure that no opposition party secures 25 per cent of the votes in the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. Diri gave the charge at the grand finale of the Bayelsa East Renewed Hope Movement sensitisation campaign in Ogbia Town, where he urged party members to consolidate their political gains and reach out to undecided voters ahead of the elections.

Represented by his deputy, Dr Peter Akpe, the governor said the APC could not afford to become complacent despite its political standing in the state, insisting that members must sustain their mobilisation efforts to secure an overwhelming victory. He also commended political leaders and stakeholders in Bayelsa East for embracing reconciliation and sustaining peace, describing unity as essential to the political and developmental progress of the area.

Speaking on behalf of the governor, Akpe said the party appreciated the sacrifices and commitment of its members, particularly those who attended the event despite the rain. He, however, warned that the mobilisation drive must continue, urging party leaders to bring undecided voters into the APC fold. “But saying thank you does not mean you should go to sleep.

It is time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. One or two people are out there waiting for us to harvest. Bring them inside. Do not leave them outside because we want to squeeze the opposition to zero point. “Our winning is sure, but if we score 75 per cent, we have not won because the other people should not get 25 per cent. I emphasise that no opposition party or candidate should get 25 per cent of votes in Bayelsa,” he said.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, claimed that former President Goodluck Jonathan had endorsed President Bola Tinubu and all APC candidates ahead of the 2027 elections. Ogbuku said APC candidates from Bayelsa East had visited Jonathan to seek his permission and blessings before commencing their sensitisation campaign.

He said the former president had endorsed the candidates and encouraged them to work towards victory in the forthcoming elections. “As a people who respect leadership, we first took all our candidates to see the former president of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who is also from this electoral district, to seek his permission and his blessings.

“In that meeting, the former president actually blessed this movement, blessed our candidates and endorsed all of them, from president to the least candidate, and gave us a mandate to go out to win the election for the senatorial district,” Ogbuku said. The NDDC managing director described the political unity among leaders in Bayelsa East as significant, recalling that collective political action had contributed to the emergence of the district’s first military administrator and first civilian governor.

He cited Alfred Diete-Spiff, the first military administrator of the former Rivers State, and Melford Okilo, its first civilian governor, as examples of what the district’s unity could achieve. Ogbuku urged party members and supporters to sustain the mobilisation drive, expressing confidence that the district would translate its political commitment into votes at the polls.

He also challenged other senatorial districts in Bayelsa to demonstrate similar political unity. Also speaking, former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd.), urged political stakeholders to place collective interests above personal disagreements, saying political differences should not prevent cooperation where common interests exist.

“Every politics is local. Every politics is for your interest. The fact that you are fighting with somebody does not mean that I will also fight with that person if that person is working for my interest,” Jonah said. He also called on voters in the district to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, arguing that the President had demonstrated commitment to the devolution of powers, a long-standing demand of the Niger Delta region.

Other speakers at the event included the Bayelsa APC Chairman, Hon. Warman Ogoriba; Director-General of the campaign council, Chief Robert Ayalla Enogha; APC Bayelsa East senatorial candidate, Chief Israel Sunny-Goli; the party’s House of Representatives candidate for Nembe/Brass Federal Constituency, Dr Jonathan Obuebite; and the state Commissioner for Transport, Hon.

Preye Broderick.