The Bayelsa State Government has denied issuing any official response to recent performance claims made by a faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), labelling reports published by several media outlets as entirely fabricated.
The denial was contained in an official rejoinder signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Orientation, and Strategy, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai.
The government’s reaction follows media reports titled “Bayelsa Govt Rejects PDP’s Poverty Claims, Defends 6-Year Record,” which alleged that the commissioner had released a statement on Friday, July 3, 2026, defending Governor Douye Diri’s six-year administration against the faction’s criticisms.
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Subsequent reports also alleged that the state was shifting the blame for poverty to the federal government.
Setting the record straight, Koku-Obiyai stated that no such press release was ever authored, signed, or distributed by her office.
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She argued that the state government saw no reason to “dignify the party’s baseless assertions with a response” and challenged the publishers to produce a copy of the alleged statement.
The commissioner further alleged that the political faction’s quick response to a non-existent government statement exposes a calculated attempt to seek political relevance amid a decline.
According to the rejoinder, the claims are designed to disrupt the smooth working relationship between Diri and the Federal Government—a relationship she described as cordial, productive, and resilient against external interference.
In response to the spread of the report, the Bayelsa State Government announced intentions to formally demand a full retraction from Leadership and Punch Newspapers, whose online platforms carried the story.
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The statement warned that failure to retract the publication could result in legal action for libel and the dissemination of falsehoods.
