Guber poll: Bayelsa APC is uneasy about Lokpobiri's attempt to reunite Wike and Diri

The party stakeholders have made a formal request to the National Working Committee (NWC) to impose sanctions on individuals such as Lokpobiri, Lyon, and other relevant parties.

There are compelling indications of a potential emerging crisis within the Bayelsa State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is due to reports suggesting that Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), has facilitated a reconciliation between Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to reports, Wike and Diri experienced a rift subsequent to the most recent presidential primary held by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the Concerned APC Stakeholders (CAPCS), a political organization within the APC, it has been asserted that Lokpobiri has successfully resolved the conflict between Diri and Wike.

According to the CAPCS, Lokpobiri utilized his proximity to Wike to successfully persuade him to pardon Diri for his lack of endorsement during the party's intra-party poll, which resulted in the selection of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP for the upcoming 2023 election.

The group asserts that Lokpobiri's intervention and reconciliation of the two politicians were strategic measures aimed at garnering support for the re-election of Diri in the forthcoming governorship race scheduled for November 11th.

According to the Center for Advanced Political and Constitutional Studies (CAPCS), the purpose of the operation was to prevent the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from winning the election.

According to reports, it was seen that Diri faced the displeasure of Governor Wike, as the governor of Bayelsa withdrew his support and instead endorsed Atiku Abubakar in the presidential primary.

It has been ascertained that Governor Wike expressed strong displeasure, as he discovered that despite the substantial financial resources he allocated to the Bayelsa State delegates via Governor Diri, they were influenced and convinced to cast their votes in favor of Atiku.

According to a statement issued by the coordinators of the Coalition of Advocates for Progressive Change in Society (CAPCS), Nimi Benigha-Amange and Kopiamu Arikibai, it was mentioned that Governor Nyesom Wike, who harbored negative sentiments towards Governor Douye Diri, first intended to support the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timipre Sylva. However, he was later convinced by the Minister of Petroleum Resources to reconcile with Governor Diri and extend his support to the incumbent governor.

The aforementioned statement asserts that the minister, with the aim of impeding Sylva's candidacy, has facilitated a reunion between Wike and Diri. 

Despite lacking significant political influence in Bayelsa, Wike may exert his financial resources to support the electoral victory of any preferred faction, primarily due to his association with Lokpobiri.