Bayelsa Governorship: Kenneth Okonkwo Wants INEC to Declare Seat Vacant After PDP Resignation

Nollywood actor Kenneth Okonkwo, a leader of the African Democratic Congress, has requested the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri’s seat void after he resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to reports, Governor Diri and members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly announced their resignation from the PDP on Wednesday, raising the possibility that he might join the ruling All Progressives Congress, or APC.

In response to the news, Okonkwo said on Instagram that Diri’s resignation from his party and choice to stay independent of all political parties meant that he had officially lost his job as governor.

The 1999 Constitution (as amended) stipulates in Section 177(c) that an individual can only be elected to the position of governor if they are “a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party.” He referenced this provision.

Okonkwo said, “Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State recently resigned from the PDP and is not affiliated with any party, effectively vacating his position as governor.”

The law is unambiguous: all elected officials are required to belong to a political party. Although an elected official may switch parties, they are never allowed to stay partyless. Therefore, I demand that INEC immediately proclaim his seat vacant and hold a new election in Bayelsa State within the next ninety days.