April 05, 2025
In the face of a Bayelsa State High Court interim order, restraining associates of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike from holding a planned mega rally in the state, slated for April 12, 2025 at the Tombia Roundabout, Yenagoa, a front runner in the Bayelsa rally, George Turner, has insisted on going ahead with the event.
Turner, on Friday said the interim restraining order granted by Justice I.A. Uzakah, did not stop him from organizing a rally to inaugurate the Bayelsa State Chapter of the NEW (Nyesom Ezenwo Wike) Associates and appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike for appointment of notable Bayelsa sons and daughters into positions of trust.
The April 12, 2025 rally which is coordinated by George Turner, was initially announced as a forum to celebrate Wike by his associates, before it was changed to accommodate the president as well as the NDDC managing director and the minister of state, petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri.
Turnah, who emerged as the secretary of south-south zone of the peoples democratic party, PDP in the botched Cross river state congress, said as long as no court order stopped him from organising a rally to thank Tinubu and Wike, the event would go on as planned.
Justice I.A Uzakah of the Yenagoa High Court, had granted a Motion ex-parte in suit no. BYHC/YHC/CV/133/2025, filed by the state’s Attorney General, Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN.
READ MORE; Court Bars Wike’s Associates From Holding Rally In Bayelsa
Listed as first and second defendants/respondents in the suit are the lead convener of the NEW Associates, organisers of the rally, Mr. George Turnah, and the FCT Minister, Wike along with the Nigeria Police and its leadership.
The state government had gone to court to stop the rally as a preventive measure against chaos and to sustain the existing peace in the state, following Wike’s statements concerning the Ijaws wherein he referred to them as a minority in the region added to an earlier threat that any governor who was in support of the Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara would have him to contend with.
Meanwhile, Turnah has said that the event would go on as planned, maintaining that, “we will obey only an order of court directing us not to proceed with any rally in Yenagoa for the purpose of thanking and appreciating President Tinubu for the appointment of notable sons and daughters of Bayelsa into positions of trust and the inauguration of the Bayelsa State Chapter of the NEW Associates.
“These are the only two purpose of our planned April 12th mega rally in Yenagoa and since the court didn’t capture these two key purposes, being the advertised purpose for the mega rally, the rally will lawfully and legally go on as there’s no court order stopping it.
“The Yenagoa High Court order only stopped rallies, meetings, and gatherings called for the sole purpose of celebrating or hosting the 2nd Defendant, H.E Nyesom Wike in Yenagoa. That is certainly not our purpose, so there’s no court order stopping us from proceeding as it were.
The court did not order that we should not hold our rally. Court said if the purpose is to celebrate or host Wike, then it shouldn’t hold. Period”
