A chieftain of Nigeria’s main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has petitioned President Bola Tinubu, alleging an assassination attempt on him by supporters of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State.
In a letter dated 7 April and addressed to Mr Tinubu through the Office of the National Security Adviser, the PDP chieftain, George Turnah, said his life and his family were in danger.
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Mr Turnah is the South-south zonal secretary of the PDP and a former executive assistant on public affairs to Governor Diri until 14 February.
The PDP chieftain had switched political loyalty from Governor Diri to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and is currently the lead convener of the New Associates, Bayelsa Chapter, a platform he wants to organise a mega rally and reception of Mr Wike in Bayelsa on 12 April.
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Governor Diri, who is against the rally, has said he does not want Mr Wike to export the political crisis in Rivers to Bayelsa.
In the petition, Mr Turnah alleged that Governor Diri is involved in a plot to form a coalition of political parties ahead of the 2027 elections. He said this move is against his (Mr Turnah’s) belief that Mr Tinubu, a Southerner, should complete a second term in 2027, as was the case of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“On 28 March, Governor Diri publicly called me out during both the State Security Council and Elders Council meetings, labelling me an enemy of the state and the Ijaw nation for proposing a rally to honour the president and the FCT minister on Ijaw soil,” he said in the letter.
State of emergency in Rivers
President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and state lawmakers.
In his petition, Mr Turnah said Governor Diri claimed President Tinubu suspended an Ijaw governor and that the FCT minister insulted the Ijaw people and should, therefore, not be hosted in Bayelsa state.
The PDP chieftain said he addressed a press conference to clarify the situation and affirmed his commitment to the president and the FCT minister, after which he alleged that he has faced threats to the extent that one of Governor Diri’s loyalists, Jonah Paebi, boasted on a Facebook post that his actions were ‘death trap’ and that “people should watch how George Turnah will soon be a thing of the past.”
Mr Turnah attached a screenshot of the comments to the petition.
“This is a clear indication of an assassination plot by Governor Diri’s administration,” he said, stressing that the governor has yet to condemn the statement.
He claimed the threats had forced him to relocate his family from his home in Yenagoa, the state capital, and is currently seeking refuge in a hotel, a financial burden he said he could not sustain and urged the federal government to take measures to ensure his safety and those of his supporters.
Governor Diri’s reaction to the rally
In the petition, Mr Turnah attached a press statement from Governor Diri’s spokesperson, Daniel Alabrah, dated 27 March. The statement was released after the governor attended the Bayelsa Elders Council and the State Security Council meeting.
“As of today, that young man, George Turnah, is not a member of PDP in Bayelsa state,” the governor was quoted as saying and warning that no public facility owned by the state government should be used for the rally.
“As you are aware, we have threats from our sister state. The political crisis there is threatening us, and we will not allow what is happening there to come to Bayelsa State,” the governor said.
He urged security agents in the state to be on alert and warned that any attempt to import Rivers’ political crisis to Bayelsa would be resisted.
Childish allegation – Gov Diri
When contacted, Mr Diri’s spokesperson, Daniel Alabrah, described the governor as a man of peace who would not descend to the arena to respond to Mr Turnah.
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“Mr Turnah is inconsequential when it comes to the governor responding to him. In law, it is said that he who alleges must prove,” he said, asking Mr Turnah to prove his allegation.
“Ordinary post on Facebook that he claimed he saw? Is that a proof? It is a childish allegation. The governor is concerned about serious governance business,” he said.
At the proposed rally in honour of the FCT minister, the governor’s spokesperson said Mr Turnah should vacate the court order first.
“As it is, the court has said no rally until the matter is heard. The matter is before the court. He should go and defend himself on 11 April, not raising false alarms,” Mr Alabrah said.
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