MEET RIVERS STATE GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATES
HOW THEY STAND
In Rivers state there are many Governorship aspirants who had wished they clench the political parties’ ticket so as to be the sponsored candidates that will partake in the 202 Governorship election in Rivers state. Among these political parties are politicians of note, some of them have been around since 2003 contesting at every election period without showing appreciable political gains apart from the business aspect of it from the winners of the coveted seat.
Here The Ear Witness Publisher/Editor-In- Chief, Emeka Amaefula +234(0)8111813069 brings a list of the winners of Political Primary elections in Rivers state across major political parties in the state.
TONYE COLE
The former executive Director for Sahara Energies Plc Pastor Tonye Cole a trained Architect and oil and Gas mogul is the Flagbearer of All Progressives Congress-APC in Rivers state. He is of the choice of a faction that supports former Minister of Transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi that also produced Chief Emeka Bekee as state Chairman. Tonye Cole is the son of a Diplomat Chief Patrick Cole and he hails from Abonnema in Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. His father is of the Sierra Leone Aborigines in Rivers state who still maintain their cluster group under the aegis of Sierra Leone Aborigines Association with headquarters in Port Harcourt. In 2019, Tonye Cole showed up his zeal to govern Rivers state but the Supreme Court judgement that stopped his party APC from sponsoring candidates in Rivers state also stopped him.
TONTE IBRAYE
This is the Vice Chairman of Ijaw Youth Council Abuja Chapter who just emerged as Rivers State African Democratic Congress ADC Governorship candidate for the Rivers state Ijaw coastal communities He hails from one of the coastal communities in Rivers Ijaw. The African Democratic Party may not be popular in Rivers state but creating the awareness of political participation in Rivers state.
ENGR. DANAGOGO WENIKE-BRIGGS
The age bracket of youths coming to take over the leadership space in BRICK HOUSE Port Harcourt is taking a new shape as Engineer Danagogo Wenike-Briggs emerged as the Governorship candidate of Young Progressive Party-YPP in the forthcoming Governorship candidate in Rivers state.
His late father was the Secretary General of the Calabar, Ogoja and Rivers state COR States creation. In fact, his father Wenike Briggs was a First Republic Parliamentarian.
SOBOMABA JACKRECEE
In 2015 he is one of the Kalabari youths who through his Non-Governmental Organization Kengema Unity Forum -KUF catapulted Nyesom Ezenwo Wike into Government House Port Harcourt as elected Governor of Rivers state and he was rewarded with Asari Toru Chairmanship position. He later went astray from Governor Wike’s camp and went solo having demonstrated that he too can become Governor of Rivers state. Today, Sobomabo Jackrecee is an elected Governorship candidate of National Rescue Movement -NRM in Rivers state.
DUMO O.B LULU-BRIGGS
Tall, athletic built and wealthy Barrister High Chief Dumo Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs is the Chairman of Platform Petroleum an Oil and Gas exploration and exploitation multi-billion-naira company. His late father High Chief O.B Lulu-Briggs was the founder of Moni Pulo Oil and Gas Company before his death on 27th of December, 2018 and buried on 13th of march, 2021.
Since 2003 after he had bagged his Master’s Degree in Law from London School of Economics LSE United Kingdom. He first appeared in the political scene in 2003 during the Rivers state Governorship election under the platform of National Democratic Party NDP but withdrew from the proper contest two days to election asking his supporters to vote for Dr. Peter Odili of Peoples Democratic Party PDP. In 2007 Dumo Lulu-Briggs returned to PDP and showed interest in contesting for the Rivers state Governorship election but his participation was not as noticed as he did in 2003. During the 2011 Rivers state Governorship election Dumo Lulu-Briggs was also in the public space asking Rivers state people to vote for him as Governor of Rivers state. In 2015, High chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs joined the All Progressives Congress APC with the hope for inclusion as Governorship aspirant but he was not favoured. In 2019 Dumo Lulu-Briggs was a Governorship candidate of ACCORD Party but several court actions nearly stopped him from participation until he got a Federal High Court judgment from Yenagoa a few days to the Governorship election but his showing was so minimal.
Again in the 2023 Governorship election High Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs is a Governorship candidate under the platform of ACCORD PARTY as his Billboards are strategically positioned at the various locations in major cities of Rivers state announcing the need for his coming government to be People centred.
SIMINIALAYE FUBARA
This Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area born anointed Governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike was former Accountant General of Rivers State. He won the Governorship Primary election amidst being controversially placed on Economic and Financial Commission-EFCC watch list for alleged N117 Billion fraud with three other civil Servants. He has been at PDP National Office Abuja where he received the Certificate of Return as Governorship candidate of PDP in Rivers state.