The convener of NEW Associates, a pro-Wike grassroots support group, George Turnah, has urged Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to publicly declare his support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, as he is the greatest beneficiary of the President’s administration.
Speaking at the inauguration of NEW Associates at the Church of God Mission Camp Ground in Igbogene, Yenagoa, Turnah emphasised that Diri had gained more from the Tinubu administration than any other South-South governor and should show gratitude by aligning with the Renewed Hope administration.
Turnah, who is also the Zonal Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-South region, told his supporters that if Diri declared support for Tinubu, they would rally behind him. However, if the governor chose to align with another group, he warned that they were already working with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is a staunch supporter of the President.
He said, “His Excellency, Governor Douye Diri, should declare to us now his stance on the 2027 election. We want him to tell us who he wants to support. If he says he will support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then we will align with him. But if he decides to support any other group, we are already supporting the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Barrister Nyesom Wike, who is the number one supporter of the President.”
“Diri is the greatest beneficiary of Tinubu. Cross River has declared, Akwa Ibom has declared, Delta has declared, and of course, Edo is already there. Rivers State, something is going on, but Bayelsa, we don’t know. He should not delay. Let him tell us where Bayelsa stands. If it’s Mr. President, we will follow him, but if he wants to align with any other group, we will not support him,” Turnah added.
Turnah also criticised the state government for a shooting incident that disrupted the rally. Despite the disturbance, the organisers managed to rally NEW Associates members back to the venue for the official commencement of the event.
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Unknown gunmen had fired shots into the gathering from nearby bushes, but a combined team of policemen, operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Department of State Security were able to restore calm. No casualties were reported, though a female member narrowly escaped injury when a bullet ricocheted off an iron rod and grazed the back of her jacket.
There was also an increased security presence around the Tombia Roundabout, the originally scheduled venue for the event, with heavily armed policemen in riot gear.
When organisers of the pro-Wike rally postponed their event to April 26 to avoid a clash with pro-Diri and pro-Tambuwal rallies, the other groups also postponed their rallies to April 26, but their events did not take place. The organisers have yet to explain why their rallies failed to proceed as planned.
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