Daily Lens Report
Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has publicly dissociated himself from Governor Douye Diri’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ewhrudjakpo, along with other PDP stalwarts including former Governor Seriake Dickson, has reaffirmed loyalty to the opposition party, declaring that the PDP remains “formidable” both in Bayelsa and across Nigeria.
A party insider told Daily Post that, “The Deputy Governor, Ewhrudjakpo, and one of our leaders, Seriake Dickson, including other former lawmakers in our party, are still with the PDP — we’re going nowhere.”
Governor Diri had announced his resignation from the PDP on Wednesday through his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, without stating any reasons for the move.
However, sources within the Government House revealed that Ewhrudjakpo pointedly boycotted the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting where the governor made the announcement — a clear signal of his refusal to defect with his principal.
“Earlier this morning, Diri presided over the SEC meeting, but the deputy governor refused to attend. He didn’t attend because he’s not defecting alongside the governor,” one source confirmed.
Meanwhile, insiders in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly disclosed that lawmakers who defected with Governor Diri are already mulling impeachment proceedings against Ewhrudjakpo, citing his refusal to join the APC as “gross misconduct.”
A legislative source said, “We expect that the State Assembly will victimise him for his choice. If he’s victimised for remaining in the PDP, he will have no choice but to do the needful.”
Ewhrudjakpo and Diri were elected on a joint PDP ticket in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. Before becoming deputy governor, Ewhrudjakpo, a lawyer and former senator representing Bayelsa West, held several strategic positions within the PDP, including chairing the Nigerian International Coastal Border Platform.
