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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Three audacious actions by Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, in the last few weeks have proven that he appears not ready to leave anything to chance as the 2027 elections beckon. Previously walking in the shadow of his predecessor, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, while in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was seen largely by many as a political masterstroke that aptly demonstrated his resolve to be his own man.
To double up on his newfound political freedom, Diri’s decisions to pick Peter Pereotubo Akpe as the deputy governor to replace the late Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, his deft management of the ward and local congresses of the APC, and his choice of Hon. Warman Weri Ogoriba as the chairman of APC in Bayelsa State have given him an unassailable edge in the balance of power on the APC structure and governance architecture in the state.
For political pundits, Diri’s bold moves have far-reaching implications on who controls what and how, and who determines the steps the party would take in the build-up to the 2027 election and afterwards.
To be sure, it is crystal clear to even the undiscerning that Diri has seized the momentum by playing the piper and dictating the tune of governance and politics in the state. Unarguably, the late Ewhrudjakpo was a phenomenal deputy governor. His work ethic was outstanding, and so was his camaraderie, which gave him grassroots appeal. But the uncomfortable truth was that Ewhrudjakpo’s loyalty was to Dickson. This was understandable because Dickson, in his magnanimity, unilaterally, against all odds and the wishes of the vast majority of stakeholders, ensured the emergence of Diri and Ewhrudjakpo as the PDP’s governorship candidate and running mate, respectively, in 2019. The loyalty to Dickson was demonstrated to the very end when he (Ewhrudjakpo) refused to defect with Diri to the APC in November 2025. Therefore, in picking a new deputy, Diri wanted a workaholic figure like Ewhrudajakpo but one whose loyalty is not to someone else.
Akpe fits the bill. He has moved on from Dickson who brought him to political limelight and even facilitated his appointment as deputy Chief of Staff during Diri’s first tenure, to being one of the most trusted aides of the governor. Aside from being a maternal cousin to Diri, Akpe’s work ethic has been celebrated from within and without, as he is adjudged one of the most hard-working aides of the governor.
The floodgate of celebrations that followed his appointment by cabinet members, traditional rulers, and political associates rightly demonstrates that Akpe was a good choice. For instance, the chairman of the Traditional Council, HRM. King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV, said Akpe’s appointment as deputy governor was a ‘’well-deserved elevation’’, and a testament to his ‘’dedication, integrity, and years of selfless service to our dear state.’’
For former House of Representatives member, Rt. Hon. Isreal Sunny Goli, Akpe’s elevation reflects ’’Diri’s sound judgment in selecting a deputy whose competence and character are beyond reproach.’’
The Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) State coordinator in Bayelsa, Timipa Tiwei Orunimighe, described Akpe as “a grassroots politician, a seasoned educator, and a political strategist,” who is going to help the ‘’Prosperity Administration of Diri to finish strong.’’ Beyond the accolades, Diri’s choice of Akpe without consulting Dickson, analysts contend, sent a strong signal that the political marriage of convenience between them is finally over. By nominating Akpe from Ebedebiri in Sagbama Local Government Area, thereby retaining the slot of deputy governor in Dickson’s home local government but without his consent, Diri has not only asserted his authority as governor but also has completely disengaged from the political apron of his predecessor.
Political observers had long concluded that Diri’s Achilles heel in the APC would be managing the APC congresses, given the power undercurrents in the party. APC in Bayelsa before now was a cathedral of chaos. Its leaders were perpetually dining with long spoons while seeking to undercut one another. The party was factionalised along the lines of the camps of Chief Timipre Sylva and Heineken Lokpobiri. Since 2015, internal wranglings have continued to undo the party, turning its electoral fortune into misfortune. Even when Sylva ran into political trouble and disappeared from the political scene, a silent political contest ensued between the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Dr. Sam Ogbuku, a protege of Sylva and Lokpobiri. This was the state of the party when Diri joined the party. The expectation was that he might align with one of the camps and automatically extinguish the other camp. But the governor appears to have chosen the middle part.
And for the first time in the state’s chequered history, the APC held peaceful ward and state congresses without violence, petitions to the national leadership, and a lawsuit seeking to delegitimise the process.
To achieve harmony and balance during the congresses, Daily Sun gathered that Governor Diri had to set up committees across the eight local government areas, comprising critical stakeholders, to oversee the ward and local government congresses. Though the list was not without blemish, the strategy of ensuring each leader concentrates on selecting people in their own wards and not meddling in other wards was a masterstroke, it was further learnt. This, Daily Sun gathered, helped reduce acrimony arising from imposed leadership at the ward and local government levels. It equally helped to forestall a situation in which one person picks all the ward executives in a local government, thereby holding all the levers of power.
The governor’s style, analysts say, has ensured inclusivity and a sense of belonging, as there was consensus among all stakeholders on all positions, a development, that has invariably created an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. This is just as those who were initially rebellious, protesting their exclusion, have since succumbed to the supremacy of the party.
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The same procedure was deployed to elect the party’s State Working Committee (SWC) resulting in Hon. Warman Weri Ogoriba becoming the state chairman. It was clear when the offices were being zoned that the governor was not indifferent to who would become the chairman. Aside from the fact that the office was zoned to his home local government, Kolokuma/Opokuma, he needed to pick a level-headed and loyal man for the job. Several names were thrown up, including those who had served in the immediate Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) SWC. However, those names were knocked off over issues bordering on loyalty and acceptability.
If Diri had nursed any apprehension about his choice of Ogoriba as state chairman, the eruption of cheers at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre when his name was announced as the chairman would allay such anxiety.
Several party stalwarts have described Ogoriba as a round peg in a round hole. To them, being one of the set of people to join the APC shortly after Sylva and Preye Aganaba brought the APC to Bayelsa State, he is well-versed in the party’s history and its challenges over time, including what is needed to sustain the prevailing peace in the party.
Assessing the congresses, stakeholders from Nembe Local Government Area applauded Diri for giving ‘’ everyone a fair playing ground to elect the current exco of the APC.’’
According to Lokpobiri, the peaceful nature of the Congresses makes all stakeholders happy over the outcome. ‘’My advice to members and stakeholders of the party is to strengthen the existing unity within the party. With this existing unity, we will deliver the victory to President Bola Tinubu come 2027,’’ Lokpobiri said.
For Ogbuku, the outcome of the congresses has shown that there is prevailing peace in the Bayelsa APC, which would make the party face electoral battles as a united family.
‘’This congress is a testament to the peaceful nature of APC in Bayelsa State. This congress is to tell you that there is unity in the APC, Bayelsa State, because all stakeholders and leaders at various levels came together and, under consensus, we were able to come up with an executive from the ward to the local and state level. You can see that everybody is happy. My advice to members is that this is an opportunity for us to strengthen the bond among us. And ensure that we deliver APC at every level of the election.’’
Stakeholders of the party, Ben George Odon, Coker Zikenah, and Igbeta Ayebakuro, also applauded the leadership provided by Diri, which ensured a peaceful congress and the emergence of Ogoriba and other leaders of the party from the ward level.
Odon described Ogoriba as an ‘’astute political strategist and seasoned legislator’’ whose ‘’wealth of experience’’ as a two-time House of Representatives member, ‘’leadership capacity’’ and ‘’commitment to party growth make him well prepared for this new responsibility.’’
‘’These congresses are a transformative phase in the life of the party and party politics as contrary to the norms where the governor hand picks strategic officers in preparation for the emergence of an anointed successor, Diri has allowed internal democracy and stakeholders to drive the process in every ward, LGA’s and SWC leadership such that there was no pockets of faint disagreements, the entire process has ben adjudged free, fair, credible and peaceful by all standards.
“We see for the first time, all critical stakeholders of the party at their relevant stations carried along, not just carried along but assigned responsibilities without interference from the governor. In the end, Diri, without making a fuss, has so easily erased the much-feared Old-APC/New-APC dichotomy, and everyone has acted as a unit in pursuit of a shared agenda,’’ Igbeta added.
Diri by these three bold decisions, appears to have enthroned a new order in the Bayelsa political landscape; how long the order would last with him at the apex as the leader, remains in the womb of time.
