Diri risks removal from office over resignation — PDP ex-legal adviser warns

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jacob Mark, has insisted that Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, should be removed from office following his resignation from the party.

Speaking in an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Mark argued that the Nigerian Constitution does not permit any elected official to remain in office without being sponsored by a political party.

He recalled that Governor Diri dumped the PDP last week, shortly after his Enugu counterpart, Peter Mbah, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The constitution of Nigeria clearly states that you cannot contest elections without being sponsored by a political party. By implication, you also cannot occupy elective office without a political party,” Mark said.

He warned that the growing trend of governors and top political figures abandoning their platforms at will was a direct attack on party supremacy and democratic order.

“What we are seeing today is that individuals have become bigger than political parties. They are now like warlords controlling territories and taking decisions without regard for due process,” he declared.