2027: Bayelsa APC Lacks Goodwill, Capacity to Deliver State to Tinubu, Says PDP Chairman
Turnah cautions against dismissing Rainbow Coalition, says PDP support crucial to APC’s electoral chances
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in Bayelsa, High Chief Alabh George Turnah, MON, has faulted the claim that the All Progressives Congress (APC) can deliver the state to President Bola Tinubu in 2027 without the Rainbow Coalition.
Turnah described the position of the APC State Chairman, Hon. Warman Weri Ogoriba, as an overstatement of the party’s political reach and grassroots support.
He said the APC’s ability to secure victory in Bayelsa should be measured against the state’s voting patterns and prevailing political realities.
Turnah made the position in a statement while reacting to Ogoriba’s dismissal of the Rainbow Coalition’s relevance to the 2027 presidential election.
He said the APC, under the leadership of Gov. Douye Diri, could not afford to disregard the political value of the PDP and the coalition of political interests supporting President Tinubu.
“The reality is that the Bayelsa APC, under Governor Douye Diri’s leadership, cannot afford to dismiss the significance of the Rainbow Coalition or the political value of the PDP without confronting the facts on the ground,” he said.
According to him, claims that the APC can deliver Bayelsa to Tinubu without support from the Rainbow Coalition amount to an overstatement of its present political capacity.
The PDP chairman said the 2027 election would be determined by the ability of political parties to build broad-based support across communities, wards and local government areas.
“2027 will not be won by press statements, boasts about structures or claims of grassroots strength, but by the ability to build broad-based political support across communities, wards, local government areas and the wider electorate,” he said.
Turnah recalled the voting pattern in the 2023 presidential election, arguing that Peter Obi’s performance in Bayelsa demonstrated the potential for a competitive contest in 2027.
He said Obi’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), founded by former Bayelsa Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, could strengthen his political prospects in the state.
“Mr. Peter Obi is now the Presidential Candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), a party founded by Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, a former Governor of Bayelsa State and a major political figure and heavyweight in the politics of the State,” he said.
Turnah argued that Obi could improve on his 2023 performance if the PDP and Rainbow Coalition structures were not mobilised to support Tinubu.
“With this development, Peter Obi stands a better chance than he had in 2023 to easily win Bayelsa State, even with large margins, if the PDP and the structures of the Rainbow Coalition are not fully mobilised to back up the APC in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
The PDP chairman also attributed discontent within the APC to Diri’s defection from the PDP and his subsequent takeover of the party’s structure in the state.
He claimed that the development had left some legacy APC members disgruntled, particularly following the defection of former Governor Timipre Sylva from the party.
“It should also be noted that the defection of Governor Douye Diri into the APC and his successful hijack and takeover of the APC structure has left thousands of legacy APC members in the State disgruntled,” Turnah said.
He added that Sylva’s defection had further complicated the political situation within the party.
Turnah maintained that the PDP and Rainbow Coalition would remain significant to any effort to mobilise broad political support for Tinubu in Bayelsa.
“The fact on the ground is therefore obvious: the current APC in Bayelsa State under Governor Diri cannot deliver the State to President Tinubu except and unless the PDP and the Rainbow Coalition mobilise their structures in the State to support the APC and back the re-election of President Tinubu,” he said.
He described the support of the PDP and the coalition as central to the proposed electoral alliance.
“This is why the support of the PDP and the Rainbow Coalition is not a peripheral matter; it is central and indispensable if President Tinubu is to win Bayelsa State,” he said.
The PDP chairman cautioned Diri and the Bayelsa APC against antagonising the PDP and the Rainbow Coalition, saying such an approach could undermine efforts to build political cooperation.
“It is therefore political immaturity for Governor Diri and the Bayelsa APC to antagonise or attempt to dismiss the PDP and the Rainbow Coalition structures in the State,” he said.
Turnah said the Rainbow Coalition, which he attributed to FCT Minister and PDP national leader, Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, comprised political interests and networks that could not be disregarded.
He also described the PDP as a political platform with an established presence in Bayelsa State.
“The Rainbow Coalition birthed by the FCT Minister and National Leader of the PDP, His Excellency Chief Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, brings together political interests and networks that cannot simply be wished away, while the PDP remains a major political platform with a deep-rooted presence in Bayelsa State,” he said.
Turnah urged the Bayelsa APC to recognise the relevance of the PDP and Rainbow Coalition in any effort to build a broad p
olitical alliance for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.
