The Governor of Bayelsa state, Duoye Diri has declared that he is not interested in becoming the running mate of serial presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 election.

The declaration comes in the face of recent calls for Atiku to pick Diri as his running mate for the next Presidential election.

“I am not swayed by such calls. In my political journey, I have always relied on God and not on political jobbers with devious intentions.

“The aim of those behind this act is to cause disaffection but the plot is dead on arrival as I’m not interested in such a Greek gift” Diri responded to the calls on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.

And added that “I remain committed to the mandate given to me by the Bayelsa people and I’m single-mindedly focused on delivering the dividends of democracy to them. My administration will not be distracted by those who do not mean well for our state.”

Diri who was first elected as the Governor of Bayelsa in 2019 and re-elected in 2023 made his stance known in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary Daniel Alabrah.

Atiku and Diri are members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).