Leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State have concluded plans to mobilise at least 1000 members from the eight local government areas in the state to welcome Bayelsa governor, Senator Douye Diri, into the party.

Speaking ahead of the official defection of Diri, the founder and National Leader of the Pastor Reuben Initiative for Good Leadership and Accountability said APC leaders are ready to mobilise their members to show solidarity with Diri.

According to him, APC supporters in Bayelsa State are eager to welcome Diri and his team into the party and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Reuben, who emphasized the importance of unity in achieving sustainable progress and development in Bayelsa State and Nigeria, described Diri’s decision to join the APC as a “welcome development and a victory for democracy, progress, and inclusiveness.”

The APC chieftain urged party stakeholders in Bayelsa State to embrace peace, unity, and cooperation to consolidate the gains of the Renewed Hope government.

"This is not the time for division or internal wrangling. We must put the interests of our great party and our dear state above personal interests. The Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is for all Nigerians, and we in Bayelsa must key into it fully”.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Sam Ogbuku, has enjoined all party members to embrace the new leadership of the party under Senator Diri.

Ogbuku, who allayed fears that new entrants into the party would push old members into the background, implored them to receive new members with an open mind.

He assured members of the party to be peaceful and allow leaders of the party to harmonise their interests in readiness to deliver President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

"I want to appeal to all members that this is not the time to be using provocative statements against those coming into the party. This is not the time to threaten anybody. This is the time for us to start fighting people. In party politics, anybody who enters the party has equal rights like old members. Every politics is local, so it depends on your value, so you must double your efforts and remain valuable to your locality.’’

Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima and Senate President Godswill Akpabio would lead the APC national delegation to Bayelsa on Monday to receive Diri into the party.

The event is scheduled for Samson Siasia Stadium, which is also expected to attract important dignitaries, including governors elected on the platform of the APC.

Already, security has been beefed up around the venue with the deployment of a combined team of security personnel. (The Sun)