A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Yekini Nabena, has raised a strong alarm against Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, who is expected to defect to the party on Monday.

Nabena, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, alleged that Governor Diri is not coming to add value but is instead working to “destroy the existing leadership” of the APC in Bayelsa State to take control.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Nabena claimed that loyalists of the governor are behind recent unfounded rumors about the arrest of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku. He described this as a smear tactic to destabilize the current party structure.

“We are not saying the Governor should not join the APC… The fact we will not take is for him to destroy some people and the existing leadership,” Nabena stated.

He argued that Governor Diri is defecting “empty-handed,” as his deputy, a majority of state assembly members, and key national lawmakers from Bayelsa are not joining him. Nabena urged the public to disregard the arrest rumors and questioned what value the governor brings to the APC.