Bayelsa Commissioner, Diri’s Supporters Defect to NDC

The Commissioner for Special Duties, Bayelsa West, Michael Magbisa, alongside a group of supporters loyal to Governor Douye Diri, has defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

Magbisa, a former local government chairman, defected alongside some supporters of the governor at the NDC state secretariat in Yenagoa, the state capital.

The party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdulmumini Abdulsalam, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday.

According to the message, Magbisa said he dumped the APC due to what he described as a lack of ideology and dissatisfaction with the party’s internal operations.

“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? I formally resign as a commissioner, and there’s no going back because I didn’t forget or miss anything.

“I have with me here a coalition of NGOs, numbering about 5,000 members of PDP, APC and LP, and we are not just supporters of Dickson’s leadership style, we are believers.

“Nobody should be deceived anymore, the future of NDC is bright. That is why we are here to work together and make it count.

“Since I joined the APC, I haven’t slept well, and no freedom at all. But I know from now on I will be as free as the bird,” he said.

Receiving the defectors, the Bayelsa State chairman of the NDC, Dauprebo Ikuromo, said the party remained a credible alternative, adding that it accommodates all categories of politicians.

“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,” he said.

He added, “We also thank the leader and founder of our great party for the courage to lead us transparently which has brought us to this point today.”