Former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jacob Mark, has said Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, should vacate his office for allegedly not belonging to any political party, describing such a situation as unconstitutional and illegitimate.
Speaking during an interview with Arise News on Tuesday, Mark noted that Diri occupying the governorship seat without party affiliation violates the fundamental principles of Nigeria’s democracy and undermines the basis of electoral representation.
“Without the PDP, Governor Diri would not have contested the election at all. And occupying that office without a political party is completely illegal and on a constitutional basis, that occupation of the office can be challenged.
“The people of Bayelsa have the right to question the occupation of that office because they are the ones that voted. If their governor is now without a political party, he ought to vacate that seat,” Mark stated.
His comments come amid growing debate over Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri’s reported non-membership of any political party following his resignation from the PDP.
Mark also criticised what he called a “constitutional loophole” that allows elected officials to abandon the political parties that sponsored them and defect to others without facing any repercussions.
“Institutions are being rubbished by politicians and the courts appear to be helpless because the wordings in the Constitution make it possible for candidates sponsored by political parties to rubbish those political parties and go to other political parties, without consequence,” he said.
He noted that while the Constitution provides that members of the National Assembly who defect without justifiable cause should lose their seats, the judiciary has often been unwilling to enforce this provision.
He further argued that the failure of institutions to enforce party loyalty has emboldened politicians to treat political parties as “mere vehicles for power” rather than platforms built on ideology and public service.
“We have a situation where politicians are enjoying themselves. They run to this market today and run to the other one tomorrow and nothing appears to happen. Nobody seems to be in a position to control the political class anymore. They can do as they wish and nothing will happen,” he said.
Mark warned that the trend of unchecked defections and disregard for political structures erodes public confidence in governance and weakens Nigeria’s democratic system.
“Individuals are getting bigger than the political parties, they are getting bigger than the courts, they are getting bigger than INEC. They are becoming like warlords who are in charge of the territory they occupy and they take decisions without regard for anything and nothing happens,” he said.
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