The Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is teetering on the brink of a fresh crisis as a war of words between South-South Zonal Secretary George Turnah and State Chairman Solomon Agwanana threatens to destabilize the party.

The clash between Turnah and Agwanana reached new heights on March 5, 2025, after the state PDP leadership, in a letter signed by Agwanana, State Secretary Gesiye Isowo, and Publicity Secretary Ebiye Ogoli, accused Turnah of orchestrating a plot to recruit party officials at all levels to form a parallel party structure.

The letter, which was widely circulated, warned members against associating with Turnah and threatened sanctions for anyone found fraternizing with him.

In a swift response, Turnah dismissed the accusations as baseless and issued a statement titled “Time for Change Has Arrived.” Through his media assistant, Kevin Loveday-Egbo, Turnah emphasized that the Bayelsa PDP had suffered under Agwanana’s leadership.

He claimed the chairman’s tenure had been marked by weak leadership, which had eroded the party’s influence within the state and caused many loyal members to defect to the opposition.

“The party is losing committed members to the opposition due to Agwanana’s leadership failure and his promotion of factionalism within the PDP,” Turnah said. He further criticized the chairman’s inability to address internal dissatisfaction, pointing to the low attendance at a recent State Executive Council (SEC) meeting as proof of the widespread unrest.

In his statement, Turnah urged Governor Douye Diri not to be misled by Agwanana’s political maneuvers and highlighted the critical state of the party.

“As leaders of this party, we must save it from Agwanana’s incompetence and ineffective leadership. If Agwanana understood the level of dissatisfaction within the party, he would realize that he and his allies are mere shadows of their former selves,” Turnah declared.