A faction within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has issued a strong warning to Governor Douye Diri, demanding the release of one of its members, Awudumu Reigneth, or risk facing expulsion from the party.
Naturenex gathered that Reigneth, a social media personality and political activist, was detained following a petition linked to her social media post, in which she accused Governor Diri of being behind the shooting incident at the inauguration of NEW Associates — a pro-Wike political group — last month.
Reacting to the incident in a statement released by its acting Publicity Secretary, Derri Alasuote Wright, the pro-Wike faction of the PDP denounced the arrest and called for Reigneth’s immediate release.
In the statement, the group declared, “We will not stand idly by as the fundamental rights of our members, and indeed, Bayelsans, are trampled upon. We urge Governor Diri to immediately retrace his steps. Failure to heed our call for the release of Miss Awudumu will compel us to escalate our actions, including considering the options of expelling him from our party.”
The faction further alleged that the arrest was politically driven, citing Reigneth’s involvement with NEW Associates — a grassroots political group loyal to Wike and supportive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu — as the reason behind the action.
Accusing Governor Diri of working against the party’s unity in the state, the group claimed he was targeting supporters of NEW Associates as part of a broader plan to weaken the PDP ahead of a rumored defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“She serves as the Director General of the NEW Media Team of the NEW Associates. These anti-democratic credentials of Governor Diri are becoming a concern to the PDP in Bayelsa State. Governor Diri is working hard to destroy and kill the PDP in Bayelsa State ahead of his planned defection to the APC, which we are aware is already concluded,” the statement added.
They went on to accuse the governor of silencing opposing voices in the state, pointing to his decision to dismiss 27 aides from the Bayelsa East Senatorial District and the earlier arrest of social commentator John Idumange, which they described as part of a growing pattern of repression.
The faction also appealed to civil society organisations, human rights groups, and the general public to speak out and join them in demanding Reigneth’s release, as well as defending democratic freedoms in Bayelsa State.
