From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The zonal secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, South-south, George Turnah has denied betraying Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri over his election at the scribe PDP South-south.
Turnah had been elected zonal secretary at the controversial PDP South-South zonal congress held in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, replacing a fellow Bayelsan, Chief Felix Omemu.
During the PDP State Executive Council, SEC meeting held in Yenagoa, on Monday, the Chief Whip of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and kinsmen of Turnah, Hon Gabriel Ogbara( Ogbia Constituency 3), had on behalf of Ogbia people rendered an apology to Diri for Turnah’s action, stating that the apology became necessary as it was not the “character of Ogbia people to betray their benefactors’’.
However, in a swift response, Turnah in a statement through his media assistant, Kelvin Loveday-Egbo, condemned Ogbara’s supposed apologies to Diri describing it as hypocritical.
He reiterated that he has committed no offence that would warrant an apology to the governor and also does not harbour any grievance against him,
Rather he recalled his total support for Diri governorship ambition in 2019 and his re-election in 2023 to demonstrate his total commitment to the Diri project.
“I supported the Governor in both his first and second terms elections and maintained my integrity even as the PDP agent in Ogbia LGA during the last election. I did everything necessary to support Governor Diri when it mattered most. At this point, I have nothing left to contribute or offer to Governor Diri, so notions of betrayal are baseless. In fact, I feel I am the one being betrayed,” he said.
Turnah warned Ogbara to stop using his name to gain favour with Diri, stressing that the latter could further his ambitions for a third term in the House without necessarily resorting to using his name or exploiting the current political circumstances for his own gain.
