A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress and Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the seat of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, vacant following his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Governor Diri announced his resignation from the PDP on Wednesday, alongside members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, sparking speculation that he might defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Reacting to the development, Okonkwo, in a post on Instagram, argued that Diri had automatically lost his position as governor by resigning from his party and remaining unaffiliated with any political party.
He cited Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which states that a person is qualified for election to the office of governor only if they are “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,” Okonkwo wrote.
“The law is clear: every elected official must be a member of a political party. An elected official can defect from one party to another but cannot remain partyless at any point. I therefore call on INEC to declare his seat vacant immediately and conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa State within the next 90 days.”
