The organisers of a planned rally in support of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, have vowed to proceed with the event despite opposition from Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri.
Governor Diri, during a meeting with Bayelsa elders and security agencies on Wednesday, expressed concerns that the rally could spark violence. He urged security agencies and stakeholders to prevent any action that might threaten peace and stability in the state.
However, in a statement issued by his media aide, Kelvin Loveday-Egbo, the South-South Zonal Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and chief promoter of the rally, George Turnah, dismissed the governor’s concerns, insisting that preparations for the event were in full swing.
Turnah expressed surprise at the governor’s stance, emphasizing that politics should not be driven by ethnicity. He maintained that the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association is enshrined in the constitution.
According to him, the rally is intended to show solidarity with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Minister Wike, and not to destabilise the state. He denied allegations of working with a former governor to create political instability, clarifying that his grassroots movement, New Associates, is focused on mobilizing support for President Tinubu’s administration in the South-South without hidden motives.
A promotional flyer obtained in Yenagoa revealed that several notable figures are expected to attend the rally, including Wike, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Samuel Ogbuku, among others.
Turnah confirmed that the rally is scheduled to hold on April 12, 2025, in Bayelsa, adding that all necessary notifications have been made to security agencies to ensure a peaceful gathering.
He also reminded Governor Diri that the same Ogbia elders he called upon to intervene had previously urged him in 2019 not to support Diri’s governorship ambition—advice he had ignored at the time.
“I am not only a member of the PDP but also a serving Zonal Secretary of the Party in the South-South. I wonder what other office the governor is accusing me of holding if I am not a member of the PDP,” he stated.
Turnah reiterated that his association with Wike was a personal political decision, insisting that he has the constitutional right to freedom of association. He further described the current disagreements within the Bayelsa PDP as internal party matters that would soon be resolved.
While acknowledging Governor Diri’s achievements, Turnah pledged his continued support for the state’s prosperity agenda. He also urged youths, women, and political stakeholders across party lines to attend the rally en masse to appreciate President Tinubu and Wike for their contributions to Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation.
