Day Gunshots Nearly Ruined New Associates Rally In Bayelsa

 

 There have been series of political unrest especially in the  South South Region of the country probably because of who seats on the exalted seat of Aso Rock come 2027.

Of course, it started from Rivers State with a state of emergency slammed on the state and  with suspension slammed on the governor of the state, Sim Fubara.

 Gradually, it is moving towards other states hence the decamping of Delta state governor, Sherif  Oborevwori and former Delta governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

 While political pundits  claimed that the duo moved to All Progressives Congress to avoid being wtchhunted , others said said that they were being used to kill and bury the People’s Democratic Party in  the country.

Ofcourse, some moles are at the center of the Bruhaha in the party.The Federal; capital territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has been repeatedly mentioned in the whole process as he had been accused by some stakeholders to have  disorganized PDP which incidentally is his party.

 Others are saying that he was playing ant party if not why fighting his own political son, Sim Fubara who is also of PDP.

Haven literarily captured Rivers State  with a six months suspension slammed on  governor Fubara, the train swiftly moved to Bayelsa State where it has recruited one George Turnah from Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and of PDP to also act as a checkmate to the government in power in Bayelsa State.

George Turnah is currently the South South Zone caretaker committee chairman of PDP and the acting Secretary of the party.

 In fact, ecently he declared that the state working committee of PDP in the state has been disolved and that he is currently the new chairman. 

So, recently George Turnah floated a body called the New Associates a group in support of the Federal Capital Territory  Minister and wanted to have the inauguration which he also was planning to use to thank the Presidnet for appointing soons and daughters of the region.

But because the name Wike had been associated with some sort of controversy sighting instant with what is happening in Rivers State,  Bayelsa State Government was skeptical about  what he called a mega rally.

The rally was actually have been held on the 12th of April, 2025 but was shifted to 26th because of the circumstances surrounding the rally.

Bayelsa State Government and even some Bayelsans said that the rally shouldn't hold because that kind of rally was held recently in Rivers State and it didn't go down well because at the event Wike was accused of insulting the Ijaws.

So in Bayelsa, Government said the rally shouldn't hold or it should be peaceful.

Turnah Promises A  Peaceful Rally:

Ahead of the official inauguration of the Bayelsa State chapter of the NEW Associates and the Mega Rally,  Alabh George Turnah has assured members and stakeholders of a peaceful, well-coordinated event.

 Turnah, in a statement by his media assistant, Kevin Loveday, Egbo emphasised the importance of political alignment, noting that leadership and followership are essential ingredients in the political space.

Turnah described the NEW Associates as more than just a political group, but a movement grounded in ideology and values.

“The NEW Associates is a political family under the leadership of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Ezenwo Nyesom Wike.

 “Everyone has the right to make a choice. Just like salvation, political decisions are personal. And I take full responsibility for the choices I’ve made, in 2019, 2023, and beyond, without regrets.

“Wike is a man with foresight. The young leaders he discovered between 2011 and 2015 are now shaping the political landscape of Rivers State. That’s leadership with vision and a large heart.

“The NEW Associates is a national platform that welcomes all well-meaning Nigerians, whether PDP, APC, or others. The goal is continuity and consolidation of governance, particularly under the current Southern presidency, which is yet to complete its first term. We must resist divisive rhetoric disguised as coalitions.”

Addressing concerns about possible disruptions, Turnah assured that the event would be orderly and security-conscious.

 “We’ve cooperated fully with security agencies. Our mobilization strategy is structured. We’ve narrowed down to specific groups, local governments, and associations. Every participant can be traced to the person who mobilized them,” he explained.

He  had warned against any sponsored infiltration, stating that anyone causing disruption would be identified and held accountable. 

“If anyone creates chaos, claiming to be part of us, we will know they’re from the other side. And whatever they do to us that day, we will return in kind, until they leave office. The only thing we will not disrupt are state functions.”

Gunmen Disrupts Rally:  After all efforts to hold the rally in  any government facility failed, the New Associates took thru rally to an empty bush said to be that of a church and cleared a portion to hold through rally.

 People were already seated including this reporter when all of a sudden there were sounds of gun shots repeatedly coming from the bush  just  at the back of the Podium and the surrounding bush.

Everywhere scattered and people were running helter skelter with many falling and standing to run. Incidentally, the bush was mashy and people were just running for their lives.

Even when people were running, the gun shots intensified  causing some to wound. The good news is that there was no casualty but it was not a good experience.

It took the effort of Policemen, operatives of the Department of State Security and soldiers from the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe and  Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC who  engaged the gunmen in a  gun battle forcing them to flee.  

Turnah Comments:   Turnah who spoke mostly in Pidgin said "One with God is majority. God is with us because we didn't do anything to them.

 "They met us that we should support them for second  tenure, we did even though they offended us. How can a leader not border about his own people. 

"All of us gathered here since morning and they sent gunmren to come and shoot Ijaw people. Some of us are  in the hospital now. I saw one woman  bleeding and I cried.

" But no good thing comes easy. As I speak to you, they just called me that they have scattered my house that I arranged for reception after this event, shot everywhere. But nothing can stop us.

 Also Ebilade Ekerefe, the Secretary of New  Associates group and former spokesman of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), said  “How can  somebody go after the law abiding citizens of Nigeria, particularly Ijaw youths, who have gathered to associate politically?

"We are not here to cause any trouble, we are here to express our support, solidarity to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and so it  is quite unfortunate that a governor who is seen to be the chief law  enforcement officer of Bayelsa State who also made a statement during the president's wife visit  that he is supporting the president of Nigeria,

today,  youths from Bayelsa and Niger Delta are mobilizing support for the president, the governor is supposed to support and strengthen us and give us the necessary security for us to carry out this programme peacefully.

" I want to commend the security agencies for having the courage and boldness to repel those guys who came here to shoot at us  sparodaucally. I condemn it in its entirely and it is undemocratic. This has shown that the governor is not a Democrat but a  despot.  

"A very deceptive and deceitful leader and I stand here to say that he is not  fit to be address as the governor general of Ijaw nation He should have known that these are  Ijaw youths that are  gathered here and this  is anti democratic and it should be made known.

" We will take a protest after this rally to the government house and send a strong signal to the Nigerian state ,that the governor has failed to provide security in this state.

Also ,Pabara Igwele, the immediate past Commissioner of Health in Bayelsa State,   in his reaction stated the rally was  a peaceful one, that anybody trying to cause panic was doing so for political reason.

He said:" I don't know who is responsible for the shooting but there are people from the government who have been saying that this rally cannot hold here in Bayelsa State.

 "We are doing a peace rally. We didn't come to fight anybody. If  you look at us, you will know that we are not armed and we will continue to be peaceful. We just want to thank Mr President for all that he has done for Bayelsa State."

Bayelsa Government Seeks Probe Of  The Shooting: 

To unravel the faces behind the shooting, the Bayelsa State Government in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy,  Obiuwou Koku-Obiyai, on Saturday night called on the Inspector-General of Police and the police authorities in the state to unravel those behind the incident at the rally ground.

The government expressed concern that the shooting was not a coincidence as the organisers had earlier threatened that “the good, the bad and the ugly” would attend the event.

It wondered why a gathering that was expected to be peaceful turned violent with some persons reportedly injured.

The statement urged the police to immediately commence investigation in order to bring to book anyone found culpable.

While noting that the event negated guidelines for political activities as stipulated in the Electoral Act and by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the government observed that it was held on the camp ground of a religious organisation.

The government restated its commitment to sustaining the peace in the state as well as ensuring the security of lives and property of all residents.