New Associates, a political platform canvassing support for the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, has postponed its planned “mega rally” in honour of the minister in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
George Turnah, the lead convener of the Bayelsa Chapter of the group, disclosed this during a press briefing in Yenagoa on Friday.
Mr Turnah is the South-South zonal secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Until 14 February, he was Governor Douye Diri’s executive assistant on public affairs.
The PDP chieftain switched political loyalty from Governor Diri to the FCT minister and is now leading a group and mobilising political support for Mr Wike and President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
Mr Diri, who is against the rally, has said he does not want the minister to export the political crisis in Rivers State to Bayelsa.
In the build-up to the rally, Mr Turnah petitioned President Tinubu through the National Security Adviser, alleging an assassination attempt on him by Governor Diri’s supporters, an allegation Mr Diri’s spokesperson, Daniel Alabrah dismissed as “childish.”
“Mr Turnah is inconsequential when it comes to Mr Diri responding to him,” Mr Alabrah told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday. He asked Mr Turnah to go deal with a court order he (Alabrah) said was against the rally.
Mega rally postponement
At the press briefing on Friday, Mr Turnah said he harkened to the plea of some elders in the state to reschedule the rally after “several pro-Diri and pro-Tambuwal” groups issued notices of a rally in solidarity with their leaders at the exact date and venue scheduled for the rally for Mr Wike.
“We will now hold our inauguration and mega rally on Saturday, 26 April 2025, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. This decision has been made in deference to notable leaders and fathers of the Ijaw nation who have, for various reasons, reached out to us to consider a shift in date,” Mr Turnah said.
Why Diri is against rally?
Mr Turnah has doubled down on organising the mega rally in honour of the minister despite opposition from Governor Diri.
“As of today, that young man is not a member of PDP in Bayelsa state,” Mr Diri said, warning that no public facility owned by the state government should be used for the rally.
Additionally, the governor said Rivers State, where Mr Wike hails from, is under emergency rule and stressed that he does not want the crisis to be exported to his state.
“As you are aware, we have threats from our sister state. The political crisis is threatening us, and we will not allow what is happening there to come to Bayelsa state,” the governor said, urging security agents to be on alert and warned that any attempt to import Rivers political crisis to the state will be resisted.
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