Senator Friday Benson Konbowei, representing Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His defection was formally announced on Thursday at the Senate chamber, where Senate President Godswill Akpabio read Konbowei’s letter before the close of plenary.
Konbowei, a former Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, cited persistent internal crises within the PDP as the reason for his decision to abandon the party.
“My decision to leave the PDP is borne out of the intractable crises bedeviling the party, both at the state and national levels,” the senator stated in his letter.
Political Implications
Konbowei’s defection comes amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, and is seen as a significant boost for the APC in the South-South region, traditionally a PDP stronghold.
