A former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mark Jacob, has called on Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri to vacate his office, arguing that his reported resignation from the party renders his position unconstitutional.
Jacob made the statement on Tuesday, October 21, during an interview on ARISE News, as political uncertainty deepened over Diri’s exit from the PDP.
The governor had announced his resignation from the opposition party last week, citing “obvious reasons,” though he did not explain his grievances or disclose his next political move.
Rumours have since circulated that Diri might defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), following a similar path as his Enugu counterpart, Peter Mbah
However, his silence on the matter has fuelled widespread debate about the legality of his continued stay in office.
Jacob maintained that Diri’s current status violates the Constitution, saying, “Occupying that office without a political party is completely illegal.”
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He added, “Without the PDP, Governor Diri would not have contested the election at all. The people of Bayelsa have the right to question his continued occupation of that office because they are the ones who voted. If their governor is now without a political party, he ought to vacate that seat.”
The former PDP official also criticised the weak enforcement of constitutional provisions regarding political defections, accusing politicians of exploiting loopholes without consequence.
“Institutions are being rubbished by politicians, and the courts appear helpless because the wordings in the Constitution make it possible for candidates to dump their political parties and go elsewhere without repercussion,” he said.
Jacob lamented that judicial reluctance has emboldened politicians to switch allegiances freely, turning parties into “mere vehicles for power.
“Politicians move freely from one party to another without consequence. Nobody seems able to control the political class anymore,” he stated.
He concluded that the growing disregard for party loyalty undermines Nigeria’s democracy, warning that some politicians have become “bigger than political parties, bigger than the courts, and even bigger than INEC.”