The organizers of a planned rally in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in support of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, have insisted on going ahead with the event despite opposition from Governor Douye Diri.
Governor Diri, during a meeting with Bayelsa elders and security agencies on Wednesday, expressed concerns that the rally could lead to violence.
He urged stakeholders to avoid any activity that could cause instability in the state.
However, in a statement issued by his media assistant, Kelvin Loveday-Egbo, the South-South Zonal Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), George Turnah, who is the lead promoter of the rally, dismissed the governor’s concerns.
He insisted that preparations for the event were in top gear and that the right to peaceful assembly is protected by the constitution.
Turnah refuted allegations that he was working with a former governor to destabilize Bayelsa.
He said his political movement, New Associates, was focused on mobilizing support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the South-South without ulterior motives.
He also responded to Governor Diri’s alleged attempt to pressure Ogbia elders to dissuade him from supporting Wike, recalling that the same elders had urged him not to support Diri’s governorship ambition in 2019—a request he ignored.
“I am not only a member of the PDP but also a serving Zonal Secretary of the party in the South-South. I wonder which other office the governor was accusing me of occupying if I am not a member of the PDP,” Turnah stated.
Despite the disagreement, Turnah acknowledged that the internal PDP rift in Bayelsa remains a family affair and assured that the issues would be resolved soon.
