In an extraordinary show of resilience, The NEW Associates, a political group supporting President Bola Tinubu, successfully held a rally in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, despite an armed attack on Saturday. The group lauded Tinubu’s efforts in advancing development projects across Bayelsa and the Niger Delta region.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The rally, made up largely of loyalists to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, also expressed gratitude for Wike’s role in facilitating strategic appointments for Ijaw natives.

The event, hosted at the Church of God Mission Camp Ground in Igbogene — near the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Delta Safe headquarters — turned chaotic when five armed assailants emerged from a nearby forest and opened fire, causing a stampede. Several attendees sustained injuries in the chaos.

Operatives from the Police and Department of State Services (DSS) swiftly engaged the attackers in a 10-minute gun battle, ultimately repelling them. Meanwhile, JTF troops conducted a thorough sweep of the area to prevent further disturbances. Among those hospitalized were a physically challenged man and a woman struck during the attack, alongside others injured while fleeing.

Ebilade Ekerefe, Secretary of the NEW Associates and a former spokesperson for the Ijaw Youth Council, condemned the assault, emphasizing that no form of intimidation would weaken their resolve to support Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid. He credited Tinubu’s administration for major infrastructure strides in the Niger Delta.

George Turnah, lead convener of the rally, described the attack as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the movement, revealing that his Yenagoa residence, intended as a reception venue, was also targeted. He stressed that the group’s commitment to backing President Tinubu and Minister Wike remained unshaken, given their contributions to regional development.

Turnah, who doubles as the South-South Zonal Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bayelsa PDP caretaker chairman, listed key Ijaw appointments facilitated under Tinubu’s leadership — including Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (Minister of Petroleum), Dr Samuel Ogbuku (NDDC Managing Director), Dame Didi Walson-Jack (Head of Service), Emomotimi Agama (SEC Director-General), and Prince Ebitimi Amgbare (Managing Director/CEO of the Niger Delta River Basin Authority).

He hailed Wike as a pragmatic figure and staunch ally of the Ijaw people, highlighting the positive transformation witnessed under their stewardship. Turnah further disclosed that Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States had already pledged support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, while urging Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri to make his position clear.

Prominent figures such as Senator Thompson Sekibo, represented by Hon. Rowland Sekibo, and Chief Ferdinard Alabrabra, represented by Chief Henry Ogiri, also condemned the violent disruption and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting President Tinubu and Minister Wike.