African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain and Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the office of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, vacant following his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to report by Politics Nigeria, Governor Diri, alongside several members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, announced his resignation from the PDP on Wednesday, a move that has intensified rumours of his possible defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, Diri made the announcement during an expanded State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Yenagoa.
The statement added that the decision to leave the PDP came after wide-ranging consultations with stakeholders across the state.
However, the statement was silent on the position of his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who was notably absent from the meeting.
Reacting to the development in a post shared via his Instagram page, Kenneth Okonkwo maintained that the governor had automatically forfeited his position by exiting his party membership.
Quoting Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), he noted that an individual is only qualified to hold the office of governor if he or she “is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party.”
“Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has just vacated his seat as governor by resigning from the PDP and not belonging to any party.
”The law is clear, every elected official must be a member of a political party. One can only defect from one party to another but cannot be partyless,” Okonkwo stated.
“I therefore call on INEC to declare his seat vacant immediately and conduct a gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State within the next 90 days,” he added.