A fresh political rift has erupted between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, over a planned mega rally in the state by Wike’s supporters.
Governor Diri, on Thursday, ordered security agencies to prevent the event, citing security concerns.
He also warned youths, elders, and traditional rulers to be on high alert and directed that no public venue should be used for any gathering without government approval.
The rally, which was to be held at Tombia Roundabout, was allegedly being organized by a suspended Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, George Turner.
Diri accused Turner of attempting to create factions within the party in Bayelsa and vowed that his administration would not allow political disturbances in the state.
Responding, Wike, through his spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, dismissed the governor’s directive as unnecessary, saying that Diri was worrying over nothing.
“Governor Diri of Bayelsa State should rest abeg. He should stop giving himself High Blood Pressure on top of nothing. Wike is not coming to Bayelsa State for anything.
But if Wike wants to come to Bayelsa, one million Governor Diri can’t stop him. DAZZOL,” Olayinka wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
Olayinka further described Diri’s security concerns as “shamefully baseless” and an attempt to deflect from his governance shortcomings.
He argued that Wike, if he intended to visit, would have informed security agencies himself.
“It is so unfortunate that a governor with all the security apparatus available to him could go on national television on mere suspicion of people planning a rally, which is their right to hold,” Olayinka said.
He accused Diri of being afraid of Wike’s influence and questioned whether the governor had the authority to stop political rallies in the state.
“Is this how much the governor is afraid of Wike? Can the governor stop people from holding rallies in the state if they want to?” he asked.
Olayinka further claimed that during Diri’s reelection campaign, he sought Wike’s support through the Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, and David Lyon.
“As he was kneeling down, begging Wike to support him, Wike was telling him, ‘No, don’t do that, you’re a governor, don’t do that.’
“ Shamefully, the same Wike has now become someone he goes about disparaging, just to cover up his inadequacies,” Olayinka alleged.
The latest spat comes amid heightened political tensions in the Niger Delta, particularly following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, over the prolonged power tussle in the state involving Wike.
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