D-DAY TO RIVERS STATE GOVERNORSHIP AND HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS —WHO WINS THE RACE TO BRICK HOUSE?
The race to occupy Rivers state seat of political power -BRICK HOUSE Port Harcourt is raging on with two major candidates Siminialaye Fubara of Peoples Democratic Party-PDP and Pastor Tonye Cole of All Progressives Congress-APC taking the frontline positions. Following the frontline Governorship candidates are Barrister Senator Magnus Ngei Abe of Social Democratic Party-SDP and Barrister High Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs of Accord, a political party that he had nurtured to gain popularity in the Cities and rural communities of Rivers state. Again. other Governorship contestants like Dr. Dawari George of Action Alliance AA and Sobomabo Jackrich of Rescue Movement political party all had taken their Governorship campaign down to the people of Rivers state in the 319 electoral wards with their various campaign messages. In all these the incumbent Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and his former boss and erstwhile Minister of Transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of APC are back to the Rivers state political landscape with last minutes efforts to make their parties’ Governorship candidates win in the Saturday 18th March, 2023 Governorship election.
For PDP Siminialaye Fubara, he is ahead of other Governorship candidates because Nyesom Wike is doing everything politically possible to get him elected. Most of the political tricks being outplayed this time include commissioning of rural road projects during the election period as a bet and instrument of convincing the electorate to vote his most preferred Governorship candidate and 32 House of Assembly candidates. In the February 25th, 2023 National Assembly and Presidential election, the incumbent Governor of Rivers state actually delivered the 3-Senatorial Districts all to PDP while upturned the Presidential election result to favour Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of All Progressives Congress-APC to put his political enemy Atiku Abubakar behind true to his position of supporting a Southern Nigeria Presidential candidate to win the 2023 Presidential election. In this way Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory as President-Elect of Federal republic of Nigeria has given much political swag to Rivers state Governor Wike as a strong politician of note nationwide. Based on this premise, PDP Governorship candidate is taking the lead to win Saturday 18th March, 2023 Governorship election but there is snag in the way surprises may change the political permutation in Rivers state Governorship election in 2023. First is the way the PDP Governorship candidate was elected during the Governorship Primary election as it was done without the Riverine Kalabari people taking their position in producing PDP Governorship candidates. As such Kalabari people have laid down political strategy to unleash on the incumbent Governor and his self-appointed PDP Governorship candidate Siminialye Fubara. In this way, Kalabari ethnic group have four popular Governorship candidates made up of APC Pastor Tonye Cole, Accord Governorship candidate High Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs and Action Alliance Governorship candidate Dr. Dawari George and Sobomabo Jackrich of RSM party. In this way Governor Wike knows that all the Kalabari block votes will be shared among the four Governorship candidates while in Rivers East Senatorial district there are two major Governorship contestants being PDP Siminialaye Fubara and SDP Senator Magnus Ngei Abe. Here, Ogoni ethnic nationality has block votes which Senator Magnus ABE will gather in the Local Government areas in that Senatorial district while PDP Siminialye Fubara having come from Opobo/Nkoro LGA has the Bonny Island Local Government Area as his strong backbone whereas his running mate Professor Ngozi Odu hails from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local government Area with Orashi region as a Rivers West senatorial district political block votes which will give advantage to PDP to win the Saturday 18th March, Governorship election.
Rivers East Senatorial District where the outgoing governor comes from has Obio/Akpor as a killer in the delivery of largest Votes in any election in Rivers state. In the Presidential election on 25th of February 2023 Obio/Akpor electorate gave Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu more than 80,000 votes alone. This a feat which most states in South -South Geo-political zone gathered for a Presidential candidate such as Bayelsa state and Akwa Ibom state. The political battle ground is here at Rivers East Senatorial zone which actually is a killer Political zone in Rivers state Governorship elections over the years. Igbo ethnic groups dominate the business community in Rivers state with Hydrocarbon Oil business and artisans taking over the economy of Rivers state. When it comes to elections in the state, Igbos dominate and whoever they support wins the Governorship election. In 2023 Igbos gave overwhelming support to Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi and there’s the allegation that their votes for Labour Party in the 25th of February, 2023 never reflected their political will as APC Presidential candidate wasn’t their choice. So, Igbos in rivers state are now divided to cast their votes for PDP or APC Governorship candidates with Distinguished Senator Magnus Ngei Abe of SDP having campaigned intensively in the various segments of Business blocks among Igbo community in Rivers state with Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association, Iron Wire Dealers Association, Mile One Traders Association, Mile 3 Traders Market Association, National Union of Road Transport Workers NURTW, Keke Drivers Association, Marine Workers Association, Freight Forwarders Association, Fruit Garden Vegetable Market traders Association and the various Youth Movements in Rivers state were not left out in the last minute Governorship campaign strategies. The incumbent Governor Wike it was reported visited the Ikokwu Motor Spare Parts Dealers association who are bearing grudges against him on how they have been displaced with the construction of Flyover bridge in the popular Ikokwu Motor Spare Parts trade zone at the heart of Port Harcourt city. When Governor Wike paid last minute visit after the Presidential election he was said to have pleaded with the Spare Parts dealers to support his Governorship candidate their 32 House of Assembly candidates allegedly dropped Ten thousand Dollars with a live Cow as gift to placate the Igbo community. He also called into Government House the leadership of Igbo Community in Rivers state where it was reported that he solicited for their votes in the Governorship and State House of Assembly election. But they are not having it easy with the way and manner Governor Wike allegedly subverted their political will to APC Presidential Candidate. This will work against Siminialaye Fubara in the 18th March, 2023 Governorship election as the Rivers State INEC Election Returning Officer has been changed with Professor Charles Okechukwu Esimone Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka in Anambra state the former Returning Officer in Imo State who refused bribe to change the Labour Party results at the state collation Center at Owerri Imo state capital during the 25th February Presidential cum National Assembly elections. This came as a result of the alleged threat to the life of the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Otueke, Bayelsa state Professor Teddy Charles Adias after he supervised the Collation of Results of the Presidential and national assembly election in Rivers State. This is the game changer should this redeployed Returning Officer who is said to be a Born Again Deeper Life Bible Church member refuses to accept dollar monetary exchange for original results to be doctored in favour of the ruling political party in the state the social contract political will of the good people of rivers state will be respected and will reflect on who emerges victorious on Saturday 18th of March, 2023 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
If there’s transparency of electoral process especially in the kalabari axis where Governor Wike’s influence will be truly put into close observation and scrutiny as regards to rigging of the results it will be hard for Siminialaye Fubara to score 25 percent votes in such Kalabari controlled LGAs.So, the race to Rivers state Brick house is tighter and any Governorship candidate with strong electoral appeal to the electorate will carry the day.
—————–Emeka Amaefula——–+234(0)8111813069