21/10/2025
BAYELSA STATE CENTRE FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PRESS CONFERENCE
ON THE RESIGNATION OF CENTRE POLITICAL APPOINTEES FROM THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP).
October 21, 2025.
Distinguished members of the press, compatriots in the Bayelsa project, ladies and gentlemen — good morning.
Today, we stand at a turning point in our state’s political odyssey — a defining moment when conscience must rise above convenience, and loyalty must be guided by conviction. As the Director General of the Bayelsa State Centre for Youth Development, I, alongside member of the board , LGA Directors and Constituency directors of the Centre, hereby formally announce our collective resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
This decision, though difficult, is neither impulsive nor ill-considered. It springs from deep reflection and a sense of duty to truth, progress, and the collective destiny of our state. Like a once-proud ship now battered by internal storms, the PDP has drifted far from the shore of unity, fairness, and purpose. The cracks have become too wide to paper over; the walls too fractured to pretend they still stand strong.
For months, we watched with concern as the party that once symbolized hope became a stage for suspicion and self-interest — a house divided against itself. The center no longer holds, and voices of reason are drowned by the noise of division. The PDP that once carried the dreams of Bayelsans and Nigerians has, regrettably, become a shadow of itself, ensnared by internal wranglings and consumed by ego wars that stifle the very ideals it once upheld.
In the midst of this disarray, Governor Douye Diri — a man of peace, prudence, and proven leadership — has chosen the higher path: the path of principle over politics, of unity over division, of progress over stagnation. Like a shepherd who refuses to abandon his flock in a storm, the Governor has once again demonstrated courage and clarity of vision by stepping away from the chaos to preserve the greater good of Bayelsa State.
We, the appointees of the Bayelsa State Centre for Youth Development, are not fair-weather friends. We are men and women of proven integrity who understand that loyalty is not blind allegiance but steadfast alignment with what is right and just. When the head moves, the body must follow — for what sense is there in a body disconnected from its head?
Our decision to stand with Governor Douye Diri is, therefore, not about political convenience but moral conviction. We have seen his commitment to youth empowerment, peacebuilding, and infrastructural development. We have watched him lead with calm strength. His Prosperity Administration has been a testament to inclusive governance, where every Bayelsan has a place and every youth has a voice.
To those who may see our resignation as betrayal, we say this: when the house you built with your sweat begins to leak, you don’t curse the rain — you seek a new roof. Our decision is a move towards stability, sincerity, and the collective advancement of Bayelsa, not an act of betrayal.
As the Good Book reminds us, “To everything there is a season.” The season for pretense is over; the time for purposeful alignment has come. We urge all Bayelsans — especially our youths — to stand with the Governor as he continues to chart a new course for our beloved state. The storm may rage, but the compass of vision remains true.
Governor Douye Diri is not just leading a government; he is steering a movement of conscience and continuity. And we, as his foot soldiers in the youth development sector, will not be found wanting on this journey.
Thank you, and may God bless the Governor, bless Bayelsa State, and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Comrade Robert Igali
Director General
Bayelsa State Centre for Youth Development
