Veteran Nollywood actor and politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to declare the office of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, vacant following his reported resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party.
Okonkwo, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, argued that by leaving the party under which he was elected, Governor Diri had effectively relinquished his position.
Recall that Diri formally announced his resignation from the PDP during a cabinet meeting held at the Government House in Yenagoa on Wednesday.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Okonkwo, who is also a legal practitioner, referenced Section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires that a person must be a member of a political party to be eligible to hold the office of governor.
“Gov Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has just vacated his seat as the Governor of Bayelsa State by resigning from the PDP and not belonging to any party,” he wrote.
According to him, since Diri is no longer affiliated with any political party, he no longer meets the constitutional criteria to continue in office.
