The Peoples Democratic Party Chairman in Bayelsa State, George Turnah, has challenged the claim by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress that it has enough grassroots support to deliver President Bola Tinubu in the state in the 2027 presidential election.
Turnah, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Kelvin Loveday-Egbo, said the APC’s claim should be assessed against the voting pattern recorded during the 2023 presidential election.
He argued that the results from the 2023 election showed that the PDP and Labour Party collectively secured more votes in Bayelsa than the APC.
According to him, the PDP polled 65,145 votes, while the Labour Party and APC recorded 45,645 and 40,417 votes respectively.
Turnah said the figures demonstrated the political relevance of the PDP and the emerging Rainbow Coalition ahead of the 2027 election.
He also argued that the political situation in Bayelsa had changed since 2023, particularly following the emergence of Peter Obi as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
The PDP chairman said the APC should not dismiss the Rainbow Coalition, which he described as a potential source of additional political support for Tinubu across party lines.
He maintained that the support of the PDP and the coalition would be important to any effort to secure Tinubu’s support in Bayelsa.
Turnah urged the APC leadership to consider the realities on the ground ahead of the 2027 election, while assuring that the PDP would continue strengthening its structures and engaging its members across the state.
The comments followed recent claims by the Bayelsa APC chairman, Warman Ogoriba, that the party had established structures across all eight local government areas and political wards in the state and was confident in its grassroots strength ahead of the election.
