Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, and supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, are at loggerheads over a planned rally in support of Wike and President Bola Tinubu, alongside the inauguration of a political group in the state.
Governor Diri has cautioned that the rally, scheduled for April 12, could escalate tensions and threaten the peace of Bayelsa.
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“Holding such an event when political tensions are already high in Rivers State could spill over and create unrest in Bayelsa,” Diri warned. “Any attempt to import the Rivers crisis here will be firmly resisted. I urge security commanders, parents, and traditional rulers to advise their wards against being used for political instability.”
EKO HOT BLOG reports that Diri also accused a faction within the Bayelsa chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), allegedly aligned with a former governor, of attempting to create discord in the state.
“We have a renegade group within our party that has established a parallel PDP structure in Bayelsa, working with an ex-governor,” he stated. “This same group was involved in the controversial PDP South-South zonal congress, which was rejected by our National Working Committee. Bayelsa is the cradle of the Ijaw nation, and we will not allow faceless groups to disrupt our peace.”
However, rally organizer George Turnah dismissed the governor’s concerns, insisting the event was peaceful and aimed at showing support for Tinubu’s administration.
“The rally is simply to mobilize grassroots support for President Tinubu and Minister Wike. It has nothing to do with destabilizing Bayelsa or any other state,” Turnah asserted. “The New Associates is a political movement committed to advancing Tinubu’s developmental agenda in the South-South.”
Turnah also refuted Diri’s allegations that he was collaborating with a former governor to create instability.
“I am not only a PDP member but also the serving zonal secretary of the party in the South-South. I do not understand what office the governor is accusing me of holding if I am not recognized within the party,” he said.
In response to the heightened political tension, security agencies in Bayelsa conducted a show of force, patrolling major streets in Yenagoa to reaffirm their readiness to maintain peace.
Led by personnel from the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH under the Central Naval Command, the operation included officers from the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Immigration Service, and the Correctional Service.
Speaking on the exercise, Commodore Omobamidele Akinbami of NNS SOROH reassured residents of the state’s security preparedness.
“This show of force is to assure Bayelsa residents that security agencies are alert and ready to act whenever necessary. The peace and stability of this state will be maintained, and we are fully committed to ensuring that,” Akinbami stated.
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