Okonkwo Demands INEC Hold Fresh Bayelsa Governorship Election Within 90 Days After Diri’s Exit For Some Reason

Nollywood actor and politician Kenneth Okonkwo has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the Bayelsa governorship seat vacant following Governor Douye Diri’s resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) without joining another political platform.

Okonkwo argued that the Nigerian Constitution does not permit an elected official to remain partyless, stressing that Diri’s current status automatically invalidates his position as governor.

Governor Diri, on Wednesday, announced his resignation from the PDP during a meeting at the executive chamber of the Bayelsa State Government House. Although 23 members of the State House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, endorsed his decision, Diri did not disclose his next political move.

Reacting to the development, Okonkwo maintained that by renouncing his party membership without affiliating with another, Diri had effectively forfeited his office. He cited Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution, which mandates that every elected public office holder must belong to a political party.

“Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has just vacated his seat by resigning from the PDP without joining any political party. The law is clear — no elected official can exist outside a political party. You can defect, but you cannot be partyless,” Okonkwo wrote on X.

He therefore called on INEC to declare the Bayelsa governorship seat vacant and conduct a fresh election within 90 days in line with constitutional provisions.