By Seyi Odewale
The Bayelsa State caretaker committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on security agencies to free Ms Awudumu Reigneth, director of new media for the pro-Wike political group New Associates, who was arrested at her Yenagoa residence on Saturday.
According to party officials, plain-clothes police officers arrived at Reigneth’s apartment around 7 pm and escorted her to an undisclosed location.
Family members said they were not given a warrant and have received no official explanation for her detention.
In a statement signed by the caretaker committee’s publicity secretary, Derri Alasuote Wright, the PDP described the arrest as “a troubling development for free speech in Bayelsa.”
“We demand Reigneth’s immediate and unconditional release,” Wright said. “No citizen should be penalised for expressing political views online or offline.”
Wright linked the incident to Reigneth’s role in New Associates, which recently organised a well-attended rally in Yenagoa backing President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
The event, endorsed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, drew supporters from across the South-South geopolitical zone.
New Associates is led in the state by George Turnah, who doubles as South-South zonal secretary of the PDP and acting Bayelsa caretaker chairman.
Although Tinubu belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Turnah has argued that bipartisan support is permissible where “national stability” is at stake.
Observers fear that Reigneth’s detention could further strain relations between Governor Douye Diri’s camp and party members sympathetic to Wike.
The caretaker committee urged human rights organisations, professional groups, and traditional rulers to press for Reigneth’s release and monitor the treatment of political activists statewide.
“Bayelsans have always valued robust debate,” the statement added. “Silencing one voice endangers us all.”
Wright also reminded state officials of precedents set by former President Goodluck Jonathan and President Tinubu, who, he said, have endured sharp criticism on social media without resorting to arrests.
“Democracy thrives when leaders tolerate—even welcome—dissent,” he said.
The PDP caretaker committee warned it would pursue “every legitimate option available under the party’s constitution” if Reigneth remains in custody.
While Wright declined to elaborate, sources inside the party mentioned the possibility of internal disciplinary motions or legal action.
Repeated efforts to obtain the police version of events have been unsuccessful.
Calls and a text message to the state police spokesperson, Musa Mohammed, were not returned at press time.
As of late yesterday, Reigneth’s whereabouts and the exact charges against her had not been made public.
Supporters have begun circulating the hashtag #FreeReigneth on social-media platforms, urging the Bayelsa State government to intervene and uphold her constitutional rights.
