APC will not collapse over defections – Bayelsa chieftain slams Yekini Nabena

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Comrade Kenelayefa Stevens, has dismissed claims by former Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, that the party is on the verge of implosion following a wave of defections.

Stevens, from Sagbama Local Government Area, described Nabena’s comments as “unfounded, misleading, and politically mischievous,” insisting that the APC remains strong and united under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.

Nabena had recently alleged that the APC was facing internal collapse due to high-profile defections at both state and national levels. He also criticised the President’s leadership style and questioned the impact of Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri’s recent defection to the ruling party.

Reacting in a statement on Monday, Stevens said Nabena lacked the political credibility to speak for the party.

“It is difficult to take seriously the opinion of someone who, on election day, chooses the comfort of a hotel room over active participation in the field,” he said.

The APC stalwart challenged Nabena to publish his polling unit results from 2015 to date, arguing that his record shows “a history of political underperformance and empty rhetoric.”

Stevens further accused Nabena of acting as a mouthpiece for former Bayelsa governor Timipre Sylva and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Samuel Ogbuku.

“His recent comments are part of a calculated effort to preserve the waning influence of his principal, driven by fears that Governor Diri’s entry into the APC may shift the balance of power,” Stevens alleged.

Defending Diri’s defection, Stevens said politics “is a game of numbers,” adding that the governor’s decision to join the APC was a “strategic gain” ahead of the 2027 elections.

“Governor Diri has proven himself to be a unifier — a leader committed to working with all stakeholders for the collective good,” he stated.

He also praised the APC National Chairman for his “administrative competence and unifying leadership,” stressing that the party under his watch has remained stable, inclusive, and forward-looking.

Stevens concluded by reaffirming confidence in President Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC, noting that no amount of “fear-mongering or self-serving commentary” would derail the party’s progress.