2027: Bayelsa commissioner, Diri’s supporters defect to NDC

In a significant political development in Bayelsa State, Michael Magbisa, the Commissioner for Special Duties (Bayelsa West), has officially switched allegiance from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). This move, which also saw a considerable number of supporters loyal to Governor Douye Diri joining the NDC, signals a potential shift in the state's political landscape.

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Today, I am leaving the APC because I don’t like their ideology. This isn’t a party, but a place where destiny and people’s lives are destroyed. How can you be in place and only one person decides what happens?

Magbisa, a former Local Government Chairman, articulated his dissatisfaction with the APC, describing it as a party lacking a clear ideology and plagued by internal operational issues. He expressed a desire for a political environment where decisions are not dictated by a single individual, stating, "This isn’t a party, but a place where destiny and people’s lives are destroyed. How can you be in place and only one person decides what happens?"

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I have with me here a coalition of NGOs, numbering about 5,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, APC, and Labour Party, and we are not just supporters of Dickson’s leadership style; we are believers.

Upon his reception at the NDC state secretariat in Yenagoa, Magbisa declared his commitment to the NDC, bringing with him a coalition of NGOs and approximately 5,000 members from various political parties, including the PDP, APC, and Labour Party. He lauded the NDC's leadership and expressed a newfound sense of freedom, contrasting it with his previous political experience. The Bayelsa State Chairman of the NDC, Dauprebo Ikuromo, welcomed the defectors, commending Magbisa's courage and conviction, and positioning the NDC as a credible alternative for politicians seeking transparency and freedom.

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I commend Magbisa who has taken the courage to join a course that he believes in, he has shown courage and conviction. He has taught us what loyalty means, he has shown us how to be free despite little gains, I enjoin us to emulate him, he is a shining example as a loyal and fine politician.