Great Joshua MacIver has formally declared his intention to contest the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship ticket for the November 2027 off-cycle election in Bayelsa State.
MacIver communicated his intention in a letter addressed to the Bayelsa State PDP State Working Committee, SWC.
In the letter, the PDP chieftain emphasised his commitment to the welfare of the people, stressing that competence and experience, rather than zoning, should be the major criteria for selecting the party’s candidate for the election.
“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,” MacIver stated.
As part of his contribution to the rebuilding and repositioning of the PDP in the state, MacIver said he would donate N70 million monthly to the party, beginning from August 2026.
MacIver, who was the All Progressives Congress, APC, deputy governorship candidate in the 2023 election in Bayelsa State, recently defected from the APC to the PDP.
He had explained that he left the APC because he and other party chieftains were allegedly sidelined by Governor Douye Diri following the governor’s defection from the PDP to the APC.
MacIver previously served as chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area under the PDP before defecting to the APC, where he became the running mate to former governor and immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, in the 2023 governorship election.
Speaking when he was received into the PDP in April 2026, MacIver said more APC members who are dissatisfied with Governor Diri’s leadership would defect to the PDP.
He said, “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.
“The two factions, one faction was like 95% of members. The other faction was just like 5%. At times, even the 5%, some would say it was like 3%. 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.
“They all have to stop it, but if you are not a leader, you are not a leader. So they will not be able to stop it. 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.”
2027: MacIver declares governorship ambition on PDP platform in Bayelsa