Kenneth Okonkwo Urges INEC to Declare Diri’s Seat Vacant After PDP Resignation

Actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo has urged 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).

Diri, alongside several members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, announced his resignation on Wednesday after what he described as “obvious reasons,” though he gave no further details. The move has fuelled speculation that he may be preparing to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement from the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, the announcement was made during an expanded State Executive Council meeting at the Government House in Yenagoa, attended by Assembly Speaker Abraham Ingobere, Deputy Speaker Michael Ogbere, and other lawmakers.

Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), argued via Instagram that Diri’s resignation renders him ineligible to remain governor, citing Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires a governor to be a member of and sponsored by a political party.

According to him, “Governor Diri, having resigned from the PDP without joining another political party, is now partyless and has automatically vacated his office.”

He urged INEC to “immediately declare the Bayelsa governorship seat vacant and conduct a fresh election within 90 days,” stressing that “no elected official can exist outside a political party framework under Nigerian law.”

Governor Diri’s deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, was notably absent from the meeting, and his position on the resignation remains unclear.