2027: Diri inaugurates APC campaign council

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, on Friday, inaugurated the All Progressives Congress 2027 State Campaign Council. Robert Ayalla was appointed Director-General, while Timi Alaibe was named Chairman of the Campaign Advisory Council.

The council, comprising party leaders and stakeholders across the state, will coordinate campaigns for President Bola Tinubu and the APC’s National Assembly and House of Assembly candidates ahead of the 2027 general election.

Announcing the appointments at the inauguration ceremony held at the party’s secretariat in Yenagoa, the APC State Chairman, Warman Ogoriba, said individuals with the capacity and experience to deliver victory at the polls were carefully selected.

Ogoriba described the campaign team as formidable, expressing confidence in its ability to secure electoral success.

He said, “Every person picked as a member of this campaign council was carefully scrutinised. I want to tell you that our campaign team is loaded. We parade the best candidates among all the parties in Bayelsa State, and there is no doubt about that.”

The APC chairman urged members to remain focused and united, warning that the opposition would seek to exploit any division within the party.

“Our unity is very important because they would want to feast on our disunity. We will not give them that opportunity. Please, as you carry out this assignment, do not take your eyes off the target,” he charged.

The Deputy Governor, Peter Akpe, was named deputy coordinator, while Diri will coordinate the presidential campaign in the state and also serve in an advisory capacity on the council.

Ogoriba, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, and the Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, Samuel Ogbuku, will serve as Coordinators One, Two and Three respectively.

The immediate past state chairman of the party, Dennis Otiotio, was appointed secretary, with Japan Odoji, Irorodamie Komonibo and Osomkime Blankson as Assistant Secretaries One, Two and Three.

Other appointments included Abraham Ingobere as Deputy Director-General, Organising and Programme; Nimibofa Ayawei, Operations; Monday Bubou, Media and Publicity; and Collins Cocodia, Welfare and Entertainment.

Former Deputy Governor, Peremobowei Ebebi, will serve as Deputy Director-General (West); David Lyon (Central); and Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah (retd) (East).

Gesiye Isowo was appointed Deputy Director-General for NGOs and Support Groups; Reuben Wilson, Special Contact, while Ayakeme Whiskey will oversee Research and Documentation.

In his acceptance speech, Ayalla expressed appreciation to Diri and the party leadership for the confidence reposed in him, assuring that the campaign team would work collectively to secure victory.

He said the calibre and experience of members of the council, coupled with the support of party leaders, provided a strong foundation for the task ahead.

“I want to sincerely thank Your Excellency, the party chairman and everyone who made this possible. One thing that excites me is the capacity and capability of members of my team. There is nobody who can claim to be a champion in a political battle when you are not properly backed,” he said.

The campaign DG assured the governor that the council would not disappoint, promising to concentrate on results rather than unnecessary political rhetoric.

“I want to assure you that I and my team will not let you down. We will not make noise, but we will lift you high. We will deliver,” he stated.

In his charge to the council, Diri urged members to make reconciliation, unity and the collective success of the APC their priorities, stressing that the campaign team’s assignment covered the party’s candidates in all the elections and not just the presidential.

The governor said the APC was prepared to welcome politicians from other parties but that such alliances must be built on mutual respect and good faith.

“We are ready to accept those who want to join us, but let nobody go out there and say that without them we cannot win. Let nobody give the impression that we in Bayelsa cannot work together as a party and deliver Mr President and all our other candidates,” he said.

Diri maintained that the APC would not surrender its positions to the opposition, declaring that the party would remain at the top and was prepared to negotiate from a position of strength.

He also directed that two Deputy Directors-General positions be reserved for women to ensure adequate representation, noting that the composition of the council could still be reviewed as the campaign progressed.

“Women are very important, and they cannot be left out. We cannot throw women under the bus. As we go forward, some changes will be made,” he said.

The governor called on party members, including those not appointed into the campaign council, to support its activities by taking the APC’s message to communities, wards and polling units across the state.

He specifically charged members to mobilise support for Tinubu and all APC candidates, describing the party’s electoral ambition as a comprehensive effort from the presidential to the state constituency level.

Setting a target of at least one million votes for the President in Bayelsa, the governor said the state’s voting strength had increased significantly and should be reflected in the outcome of the 2027 elections.

“I give you a target that in Bayelsa, we must not bring less than one million votes for Mr President. You are going to campaign, and you have a lot to talk about the President. He has done so much for our people,” he said.

He cited the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, interventions in the power sector, federal appointments for Bayelsa indigenes and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy as achievements the campaign should communicate to voters.

He particularly commended the President for recognising the development needs of coastal communities, noting that the coastal highway project was an initiative no previous Nigerian president had undertaken.

“No president, alive or dead, has remembered the coastal people and coastal states to say let us do this signature project from Lagos to Calabar. The first president to think about it is Bola Tinubu, and those were the demands of the Ijaw people,” he contended.

Diri also expressed optimism that a second term for the President would advance the quest for fiscal federalism, greater resource control and state policing, which he described as important aspirations of the Niger Delta people.

He said the President had shown early signs of addressing some of the demands of the younger generation, adding that his re-election would provide an opportunity to consolidate on the ongoing reforms.

The governor further urged campaigners to avoid personal attacks and abusive exchanges with political opponents, insisting that the party’s campaigns should be based on issues and achievements.

He also charged members of the campaign council to focus on the collective development of Bayelsa, stressing that political differences should not undermine the common interest of the people.