YENAGOA – In a significant move signaling internal consolidation and early campaign positioning, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chapter in Bayelsa State has formally endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 presidential election. The endorsement, led by the state’s APC leader and Governor, Douye Diri, marks a pivotal step in aligning the party’s southern Niger Delta structure behind the national agenda.
The decision was reached during a major stakeholders’ meeting convened by Governor Diri at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall in Yenagoa on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. This gathering, reported as the first expanded meeting since Diri assumed leadership of the state chapter in October 2025, brought together the party’s highest echelons in Bayelsa, demonstrating a unified front rarely seen in the often-fractious political landscape of the region.
Unity as a Strategic Imperative
A closer examination of the meeting’s proceedings reveals a deliberate strategy to mend fences and project strength. The motion for endorsement was strategically moved by Senator Konbowei Benson (Bayelsa Central) and seconded by former Deputy Governor Peremobowei Ebebi—a pairing that symbolizes a bridge between the party’s legislative arm and its historical stakeholders.
Governor Diri’s address to members went beyond mere endorsement, framing unity as a non-negotiable prerequisite for electoral success. His call for members to “embrace forgiveness, humility and unity” and to “reject bitterness and divisive politics” is a direct acknowledgment of past internal conflicts that have plagued the party in the state. More telling was his explicit advice for aspirants to various offices to “suspend ambitions” and prioritize the presidential project. This directive underscores a top-down campaign approach, aiming to prevent the resource-draining internal primaries that often weaken parties ahead of a general election.
“Our priority is ensuring President Tinubu returns for a second term,” Diri stated, clearly subordinating all other political calculations to this overarching goal. This message of discipline and focused loyalty is central to the APC’s national strategy of presenting a cohesive bloc from the President’s home region of the South-West through the South-South.
The Gathering: A Who’s Who of Bayelsa APC
The list of attendees itself tells a story of consolidated political machinery. The presence of figures like:
- Heineken Lokpobiri (Minister of State for Petroleum Resources): Representing the federal connection and the vital oil and gas sector.
- Senator Benson Agadaga (Bayelsa East): Securing the Senate caucus.
- Sam Ogbuku (NDDC Managing Director) & Ebitimi Amgbare (Niger Delta Basin Development Authority MD): Highlighting control over critical regional development agencies.
- David Lyon (Former Governorship Candidate): Incorporating a previously formidable faction.
This assemblage indicates that Governor Diri has successfully woven together the party’s governmental, legislative, and institutional wings. As caretaker chairman Dennis Otiotio noted, the meeting aimed to unite “previously fragmented party structures.” The praise for Diri’s “maturity and inclusive leadership” from erstwhile rivals like Lyon and Amgbare suggests a temporary truce has been brokered, with Tinubu’s re-election serving as the unifying cause.
Beyond Endorsement: The Ground Game
The meeting’s outcomes were not merely ceremonial. Minister Lokpobiri’s remark that the party’s objective is now to “win all elective offices in 2027” reveals the endorsement as the first step in a broader electoral master plan. Furthermore, the gathering served a practical purpose: mobilizing for the party’s ongoing electronic registration exercise. This data-driven effort to “capture genuine voters” is the essential groundwork that transforms political endorsements into actual votes. It points to a recognition within the Bayelsa APC that 2027 will be won not just in banquet halls, but in the meticulous building of a verifiable voter database.
Analysis: This early endorsement, nearly two years before the election, serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it strengthens President Tinubu’s position by showcasing early support from a key oil-producing state, potentially discouraging internal party challengers. Secondly, it allows the Bayelsa APC to leverage the presidential project to solidify its own internal unity and discipline. Finally, it provides the state chapter with a clear, singular focus around which to organize its resources, messaging, and membership drives. The move is less a surprise and more a calculated, early maneuver in the long game of Nigerian presidential politics, where early consolidation of geographical blocs is often a critical success factor.
Reported by Shedrack Frank for NAN. Edited by Abdulfatai Beki / Kamal Tayo Oropo.
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