By Emmanuella Opara | November 7th 2026
KEY POINTS
- Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has inaugurated the APC’s 2027 State Campaign Council.
- Robert Ayalla was appointed Director-General, while Timi Alaibe will chair the Campaign Advisory Council.
- Diri set a target of at least one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Bayelsa in the 2027 general election.
- The governor urged party members to prioritise reconciliation, unity and issue-based campaigning.
MAIN STORY
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has inaugurated the All Progressives Congress 2027 State Campaign Council, setting a target of at least one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the state ahead of the general election.
The council, inaugurated on Friday at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa, will coordinate campaigns for Tinubu and the party’s candidates contesting National Assembly and State House of Assembly seats.
Robert Ayalla was appointed Director-General of the campaign council, while former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Timi Alaibe, was named Chairman of the Campaign Advisory Council.
Other appointments include Deputy Governor Peter Akpe as Deputy Coordinator, while Diri will coordinate the presidential campaign in the state and serve in an advisory capacity.
The APC State Chairman, Warman Ogoriba, announced the appointments, saying the party selected individuals with the experience and capacity to deliver electoral victory.
He urged members to maintain unity and remain focused on their responsibilities, warning that divisions within the party could provide opportunities for political opponents.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, and NDDC Managing Director, Samuel Ogbuku, were appointed Coordinators Two and Three respectively, while Ogoriba will serve as Coordinator One.
The immediate past state chairman, Dennis Otiotio, was named secretary of the council.
Other appointments cover organising and programmes, operations, media and publicity, welfare, research and documentation, as well as engagement with non-governmental organisations and support groups.
Former Deputy Governor Peremobowei Ebebi, former governor David Lyon and Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah (retd.) were appointed Deputy Directors-General for the West, Central and East senatorial districts respectively.
In his acceptance speech, Ayalla thanked Diri and the party leadership for the appointment, expressing confidence in the ability of the council to deliver on its mandate.
He said the experience and capacity of its members would support the campaign, assuring the governor that the team would focus on achieving results.
Diri, in his address, urged members to make reconciliation, unity and collective electoral success their priorities. He stressed that the council’s responsibility extended beyond the presidential election to include all APC candidates in the state.
The governor also said the party was willing to receive politicians from other political platforms but insisted that any alliance must be based on mutual respect and good faith.
He warned members against creating the impression that the APC could not secure electoral victory without individuals joining from other parties.
Diri further directed that two Deputy Director-General positions be reserved for women, saying their participation was important to the campaign structure.
Setting the electoral target, the governor charged the council to secure at least one million votes for Tinubu in Bayelsa, arguing that the state’s growing voting strength should be reflected in the 2027 election results.
He urged campaign members to communicate the Federal Government’s projects and policies to voters, identifying the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, power sector interventions, federal appointments for Bayelsa indigenes and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Diri particularly highlighted the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, describing it as an important project for coastal communities and crediting Tinubu with responding to longstanding demands of the Ijaw people.
He also expressed optimism that Tinubu’s re-election would provide an opportunity to advance fiscal federalism, resource control and state policing, which he identified as important aspirations of Niger Delta communities.
The governor urged campaigners to avoid personal attacks and abusive exchanges with political opponents, insisting that the party should base its campaign on policies, achievements and issues affecting the people.
THE ISSUES
The inauguration marks an early organisational step by the APC in Bayelsa ahead of the 2027 general election, with the party seeking to consolidate its political structure and mobilise support across the state.
Diri’s one-million-vote target places considerable emphasis on grassroots mobilisation, particularly across communities, wards and polling units.
The governor’s call for reconciliation also reflects the importance of internal cohesion as the party prepares to campaign for candidates at federal and state levels.
His directive to reserve two senior campaign positions for women further indicates an intention to expand their representation within the party’s campaign structure.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“I give you a target that in Bayelsa, we must not bring less than one million votes for Mr President,” Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, said.
“We will not make noise, but we will lift you high. We will deliver,” Robert Ayalla, Director-General of the campaign council, said.
WHAT’S NEXT
The campaign council is expected to coordinate mobilisation activities across Bayelsa’s communities, wards and polling units, while promoting Tinubu and other APC candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
The governor also indicated that adjustments could be made to the council’s composition as the campaign progresses, particularly to accommodate women in two Deputy Director-General positions.
BOTTOM LINE
Diri’s inauguration of the APC campaign council signals the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections in Bayelsa, with an ambitious one-million-vote target for Tinubu. The council’s ability to maintain party unity and translate its mobilisation strategy into electoral support will be central to achieving that objective.
