2027: Bayelsa APC Cannot Deliver Tinubu Without PDP, Rainbow Coalition Support – Turnah
By Our Correspondent – The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, High Chief Alabh George Turnah, MON, has challenged the ability of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under Governor Douye Diri to deliver the state to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election without the support of the PDP and the Rainbow Coalition.
Turnah, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Kelvin Loveday-Egbo, described the claim by the Bayelsa APC Chairman, Hon. Warman Weri Ogoriba, that the party possessed sufficient structures and grassroots support to deliver Tinubu without the Rainbow Coalition as an overstatement of its political reach.
He urged the APC leadership to assess its chances based on the state’s previous voting patterns and prevailing political realities rather than relying on political declarations.
According to Turnah, the results of the 2023 presidential election in Bayelsa showed that the PDP secured 65,145 votes, while the Labour Party (LP) and APC recorded 45,645 and 40,417 votes, respectively.
He noted that the combined votes of the PDP and LP stood at 110,790, compared with the APC’s 40,417 votes.
“Those numbers are not propaganda. They are figures from the last presidential election. Therefore, when the APC says it has everything required to determine the presidential outcome in Bayelsa State, we should ask a simple question: What does the voting record actually tell us?” Turnah queried.
The PDP chairman also argued that the Labour Party’s performance in the 2023 election demonstrated the influence of popular support beyond established political structures.
He maintained that Peter Obi’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), a party founded by former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, could alter the political dynamics ahead of the 2027 election.
According to him, Obi could secure a stronger showing in Bayelsa in 2027 if the PDP and the structures associated with the Rainbow Coalition were not mobilised to support Tinubu.
Turnah further claimed that Governor Diri’s defection to the APC and the subsequent changes in the party’s leadership structure had left some legacy APC members dissatisfied.
He also cited the defection of former Governor Timipre Sylva, whom he described as a founding member and leader of the APC in Bayelsa, as another factor affecting the party’s internal dynamics.
“The fact on 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 stated.
The PDP chairman described the support of the PDP and the Rainbow Coalition as central to any effort to secure broad-based backing for Tinubu in the state.
He said the Rainbow Coalition, associated with FCT Minister and PDP chieftain, Chief Nyesom Wike, brought together political interests and networks that could not be ignored.
Turnah advised the Bayelsa APC against antagonising political platforms that could contribute to its presidential support base.
He also emphasised that the PDP would continue to strengthen its structures and engage its members in line with the decisions of the party.
“The PDP in Bayelsa will continue to build its structures, engage its members and participate in elections in accordance with the decisions of the party. Nobody should mistake our political independence for an inability to participate in broader political conversations,” he said.
Turnah further called for political debates ahead of the 2027 election to focus on issues such as infrastructure, employment, poverty reduction, security, education, healthcare and leadership.
He alleged that the Diri administration had failed to deliver on these areas, arguing that such shortcomings had affected the government’s goodwill and political capacity.
He, however, acknowledged that the ultimate decision on the outcome of the 2027 election rested with the electorate.
“The PDP will continue to put the interests of Bayelsans at the centre of its political engagement. At the end of the day, it is the people who will decide the outcome of the elections,” he said.
