Wike Reacts To Bayelsa Gov Douye Diri’s Defection To APC

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has mocked Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, following his recent official defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Wike said the governor owes him an apology after previously accusing him of plotting to destroy the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television on Monday, Wike mocked Diri’s sudden political U-turn, recalling how the Bayelsa governor and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, had once condemned him for allegedly working for the APC against the PDP’s interest.

Wike reminded viewers that Diri and Makinde had accused him of secretly aligning with the APC to weaken the PDP during the party’s internal zoning battle ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He said, “Remember when Diri was in the PDP, he was one of those who said that I was working for APC to destroy PDP.

“He was the chairman of the zoning committee of the party when he and Seyi Makinde met in Lagos to say they were zoning for the South. They both had a press conference and said they would not join those defecting to the APC in the gutter.”

Wike described Diri’s defection as poetic justice, saying the same man who once labelled him an “undertaker” for the PDP had now joined the very party he accused Wike of helping.

He further stated, “The undertaker has now helped him to move to the party that the undertaker was paid.

“Assuming I am an undertaker, as he said, shouldn’t Diri come to me and say, ‘Master, thank you?’”

The minister said Diri’s defection validated his earlier stance that many PDP leaders were hypocritical and lacked consistency in their political convictions.

The former governor of Rivers State stated, “If you say I am working for these people and paved the way for you to go there, then you should pay me for seeing the light you never saw before.

“The man you people claim is working for the APC to kill the PDP is still in the PDP. But you people have run away to join the party that you said I was working for.”

Wike emphasised that true leadership requires conviction, courage, and accountability, not opportunism. He said he remained loyal to the PDP despite criticism and political attacks, adding that his record of service would speak for itself.

He said, “Leadership is key to everything you are doing. When people stand for nothing, they fall for everything.”

Governor Diri formally dumped the PDP for the APC on Monday, November 3, 2025, joining President Bola Tinubu’s ruling party at a grand rally held at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

The event, which was attended by top APC leaders, saw the stadium transformed into a sea of the party’s colours, banners, and slogans, with Diri declaring that he was crossing over to work with the Federal Government for the state’s development.