Hundreds of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters, including national, zonal, state, and ward leaders, staged a solidarity rally in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The walk, which began at the Tombia end of the Melford Okilo Expressway and ended at the Kpansia Secondary School playing field, saw enthusiastic supporters singing songs in praise of President Tinubu’s achievements in the state and across the country.
Among notable figures at the rally were the Bayelsa State APC Chairman, Chief Dennis Otiotio; Managing Director of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority, Prince Ebitimi Amgbare; former House of Representatives member, Preye Oseke; and several other party stalwarts.
Speaking at the event, the rally organiser and chieftain of the APC, Pastor Reuben Wilson, who is also the founder of the Pastor Reuben Initiative for Good Leadership and Accountability (PRIFGLA), blamed the party’s national leadership for setbacks suffered by the Bayelsa chapter.
He alleged that APC’s past electoral victories in the state were undermined by actions at the national level, citing the 2019 and 2023 governorship elections where, despite what he described as strong grassroots support, the party was “denied victory.”
“Chairman, I want you to take this message to the national chairman: Bayelsa APC has suffered a lot. If the party at the centre is supreme and settles issues in other states, why is Bayelsa different? We have won elections twice and were denied. Today, we have become second-class citizens in our own state,” Pastor Wilson said.
He urged the APC national leadership to intervene and cautioned against internal divisions allegedly being fueled by certain individuals, warning that failure to act could further weaken the party’s base in Bayelsa.
Wilson, however, praised the unity and resilience of APC members in the state despite not being in power, commending the leadership of Chief Otiotio and other stakeholders for mobilising support. He also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for appointing sons and daughters of Bayelsa into ministerial and other strategic positions.
In his remarks, APC State Chairman Otiotio thanked Pastor Reuben Initiative and The Asiwaju Group for organising the solidarity walk, noting that President Tinubu had made significant interventions in the South-South and Niger Delta, including the East-West Road, the Coastal Road project, the takeover of Phase Two of the Nembe-Brass Road, and plans for the Brass Petrochemical project.
Prince Amgbare and Mr. Oseke, in their separate remarks, lauded President Tinubu’s policies, which they said have empowered states to embark on massive projects, and called on Bayelsans to support his re-election in 2027.
Earlier, the Director-General of PRIFGLA, Eseimokumo Soko, said the solidarity rally was organised to celebrate the tangible achievements of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region.
