The Senator representing Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Benson Konbowei, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing deepening internal crises and leadership failures within the opposition party.
His defection was formally announced on Thursday during plenary when Senate President Godswill Akpabio read his letter of resignation on the floor of the Senate.
In his letter addressed to the Senate leadership, Konbowei said he made the decision after wide consultations with his family, political associates, and leaders across the country.
“After due consultation with my family, my associates, my political leaders in my state, and across the nation, I have resolved to join the governor of my state, Senator Douye Diri, to resign my membership of the party,” Konbowei stated.
The Bayelsa lawmaker, who has been a member of the PDP since 1998, said the party had lost its political relevance and could no longer perform its role as a viable opposition force in Nigeria.
“I have lost hope in the capacity of my party to play the role of a political party that is capable of winning councilorship elections in Nigeria,” he said.
He described the PDP as “a party in decline,” lamenting that it had become plagued by “eternal power struggles, irreconcilable conflicts, and total disarray.”
“No politician will sit and wait for those issues to be resolved, even as the 2027 elections beckon,” he added.
Konbowei said his decision to move to the APC was based on his conviction that the ruling party offered a better platform for governance and development.
“Accordingly, it has left me with no option but to resign from that party. So, I hereby resign my membership of the PDP and hereby declare my total loyalty, support, and movement to the APC,” he declared.
His defection adds to a growing list of high-profile PDP members switching allegiance to the APC in recent months, particularly from the South-South region.
