Former All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governorship candidate in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver, has declared his intention to contest the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship ticket ahead of the November 2027 off-cycle election.
Truthng reports that MacIver, who recently defected from the APC to the PDP, communicated his intention in a letter addressed to the Bayelsa State Working Committee of the party.
The PDP chieftain said he was seeking the party’s ticket because he believed the people of Bayelsa deserved a leader with the capacity, experience and commitment to improve their welfare and develop the state.
He also argued that competence and experience, rather than zoning, should be the major considerations in choosing the party’s candidate for the election.
MacIver said the interests and welfare of Bayelsans must remain at the centre of the party’s decision-making process ahead of the election.
He stated, “I firmly believe that the people of Bayelsa State deserve a leader who prioritises effectiveness, the welfare of our people, and the development of our state.”
As part of his plan to support the rebuilding and repositioning of the PDP in the state, MacIver pledged to donate ₦70m monthly to the party, beginning from August 2026.
The former APC chieftain said the contribution would form part of his efforts to strengthen the party and prepare it for the 2027 election.
MacIver was the APC deputy governorship candidate in the 2023 Bayelsa governorship election, when he ran alongside former Governor and immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
Before joining the APC, he served as chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area under the PDP.
He later defected to the APC, where he emerged as Sylva’s running mate in the 2023 governorship election.
However, MacIver returned to the PDP in 2026, accusing Governor Douye Diri and his supporters of sidelining him and other APC leaders after the governor moved from the PDP to the APC.
When he was received into the PDP in April 2026, MacIver predicted that more APC members dissatisfied with Diri’s leadership would eventually leave the ruling party for the PDP.
He said the APC had been divided into two factions before Diri’s defection, with one faction allegedly controlling the overwhelming majority of the party’s members.
MacIver said the governor chose to work with the smaller faction after joining the APC.
He stated, “The last election, we know what we passed through to make sure we win that election and believe me, with this defection, there was a press release I issued, and I said before the governor’s defection, we had two factions in APC, and that is nothing but the simple truth.”
According to him, one of the factions represented about 95 per cent of APC members, while the other accounted for only about five per cent.
He added, “And when the governor defected with his people, he decided to work with the 5% and believe me, being a running mate in the last election, that 95% that he decided to abandon, 90% of that 95% would defect to PDP.”
MacIver maintained that the movement of politicians from one party to another was largely influenced by the relationships and contributions leaders had made to their supporters over time.
He said, “Then, when he defected from PDP, he defected from PDP with not even up to 10% of the old PDP members because in our Izon land, the only way you have influence in somebody’s life is when you play a major positive role in the person’s life.”
