PRO-WIKE PDP FACTION DEMANDS RELEASE OF ARRESTED ACTIVIST IN BAYELSA
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has demanded the immediate release of Awudumu Reigneth, an activist and PDP member allegedly arrested for accusing Governor Douye Diri of orchestrating gunfire at a pro-Wike rally last month.
The group, in a statement by acting publicity secretary Derri Alasuote Wright, condemned Reigneth’s arrest as politically motivated and threatened to initiate Governor Diri’s expulsion from the party if she is not freed. Reigneth, who heads the NEW Associates’ New Media Team—a group aligned with President Tinubu and Wike—was reportedly detained following a petition linked to her social media post.
The Wike faction accused Diri of stifling dissent and weakening the PDP in preparation for a planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). They cited a pattern of repression, including the prior arrest of commentator John Idumange and the dismissal of 27 aides from Bayelsa East, as evidence of Diri’s alleged authoritarianism. The group called on civil society and the public to defend democratic freedoms and resist political intimidation.
