Nollywood actor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the seat of Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri vacant following his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Governor Diri had announced his resignation from the PDP on Wednesday during an expanded State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Yenagoa.
The meeting was attended by the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, his deputy, Michael Ogbere, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) minority leader, Edward Brigidi, among other lawmakers.
Confirming the development, Diri’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, said the decision came after “extensive consultations with leaders of the state.”
He quoted the governor as saying his resignation was for “obvious reasons,” stressing that he remained focused on building “a strong and vibrant Bayelsa.”
However, the deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, was notably absent from the meeting, and no official statement has been released on his position.
Reacting to the development, Kenneth Okonkwo took to his verified Instagram page Wednesday night, citing Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to argue that Diri’s resignation effectively nullified his tenure as governor.
According to Okonkwo, every elected public officer must belong to a political party.
He stated that by resigning from the PDP without joining another party, Diri had “automatically vacated his seat.”
“The position of the law is clear,” Okonkwo said. “Every elected officeholder must belong to a political party as provided in Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution. Governor Douye Diri, by resigning from the PDP and not belonging to any party, has lost his seat.”
The ADC chieftain further noted that while politicians can defect from one party to another, the law does not permit any elected official to be without a political platform at any point.
He therefore urged INEC to take immediate action by declaring the Bayelsa governorship seat vacant and conducting a fresh election within 90 days.
“I call on INEC to declare his seat vacant immediately and conduct a gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State within 90 days,” Okonkwo added.
Governor Diri’s defection comes amid growing realignments within Nigeria’s opposition ranks, with several former PDP governors recently joining or forming alliances with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Political observers say Diri’s move may further weaken the PDP’s structure in the South-South region ahead of the 2027 elections.