Chaos Imminent In Bayelsa As Turnah Vows To Go Ahead With Rally Despite Court Order
Even with the court order stopping the organisers of the rally planned for August 12 at the Tombia Roundabout, Yenagoa, George Turner, the man behind the Yenagoa rally, has vowed to go ahead with the event.
He said on Friday that the court did not stop him from organising 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 rally which has been fixed for April 12, 2025, with Turnah as the coordinator, was first 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, in a message to TNN in response to questions sent to him after the court order, 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.
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.
The state government must have gone to court to stop the rally as a preventive measure to chaos in the state, following Wike’s earlier threat that any governor who was in support of the Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara would have him to contend with. He had promised to set fire on such a state.
The concern in Bayelsa is that given Wike’s threat, which came at a time that the Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri had declared solidarity with Fubara, organising a rally in Bayelsa, with Wike in the picture could lead to chaos.
The enrolled court order stated that “an order of the interim injunction is hereby made or granted restraining the 1st and 2nd Defendants, (Turnah and Wike) whether by themselves, their agents, associates, privies, representatives (or any person whatsoever acting at their behest), from conducting, convening, coordinating, engaging in, organizing, participating in, holding, hosting, or facilitating any political assembly, rally meeting, or gathering within Bayelsa State, for the purpose of solidarity, hosting, and celebrating the 2nd Defendant in Bayelsa State, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction.”
Turnah has however said that the event would go on as planned, insisting 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”
