With the current political re-engineering, the gubernatorial ambition of the Minister of State for Education, Chief Barr. Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike and that of the Ogonis’ “Campaign for our turn in 2015” have faced a brick wall, as Ijaws insist that no amount of threat will force them to drop the idea of producing a riverine governor in 2015.
The Ijaws, who are also the Riverine and creek dwellers, spread across ten out of the twenty- three Local Government Areas of Rivers State, have concluded plans to organize a fifty thousand man unity rally to press forward their resolve to produce the next governor of Rivers State come 2015.
According to Comrade Kingsley Adonis Pepple, spokesman of the Eastern Delta Peoples Association (EDPA), Youth Wing, the purpose of the planned rally is to demonstrate the unity of the ljaws in the 2015 governorship bid, mobilize support of all fair minded and unity loving citizens to support the just course for the emergence of a Rivers Governor of Ijaw extraction; as well as appeal to the upland brothers for their cooperation and understanding.
Comrade Adonis Pepple declared that the EDPA has already collected not less than twenty-five thousand signatures endorsing the rally and that more persons by the day are expressing support for the emergence of a Riverine ljaw person as the next governor of Rivers State.
Twenty groups have also expressed support and solidarity with the Eastern Delta Peoples Association. The groups include: the Ijaw Youth Council – Eastern Zone, ljaw Project 2015, Rivers Coalition, ljaw Youth Mandate; Ogoni Alliance, Etche Brothers Assembly, lkwerre Peoples Alliance, Ekpeye Assembly, Eleme Peoples Assembly, Wakirike Youth Congress, Kalabari Youth Front, amongst other numerous groups that have endorsed the support of Riverine Ijaws for Governor come 2015, and are participating in the rally, Mr. Pepple added.
Two former Governors and eight other highly respected dignitaries of the State are billed to speak at the unity rally scheduled for October in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital. Comrade Adonis Pepple, who spoke during the inauguration of the youths and students wing of the EDPA, advised other persons and groups interested in organizing and participating in the unity rally to freely contact their LGAs and Wards EDPA leaders or register online.
The EDPA Youth Wing spokesman assured the public that the unity rally shall be a peaceful demonstration devoid of violence. “The fifty thousand man match will hold at the historic Isaac Adaka Boro Park, this place bears a meaning to all Ijaws world wide,” Mr. Kingsley Adonis Pepple concluded.
Besides, the Eastern Delta People Association other ethnic socio-political groups within the Ijaw speaking Local Government areas namely: Kengema Unity Forum (KUF), Kalika Assembly, Rivers Mainstream Coalition, Ijaw Project and several others are advocating for a riverine governor in 2015.
Also the Ogonis through the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) under the leadership of Hon. Legborsi Pyagbara are clamouring for Ogoni governor in 2015.
With the demand for the governorship seat, the Ogonis and the Ijaws might clash ahead of the 2015 gubernatorial election.
Infact the spokeman of the Eastern Delta People Association, Comrade Adonis Pepple said that Ijaw governor in 2015 is not negotiable, adding that, “In the incoming weeks and months, political parties shall commence their standard flagbear selection processes, we therefore remind the national and state leaders of the respective parties to remember that a social debt is owed to the people of the Rivers Ijaws with respect to governorship of Rivers state. It is only but fair to offset this existing social debt. A candidate of the Ijaw extraction definitely settles the civic debt owed the people of the riverine.
Luckily Rivers Ijaws can be found in the three senatorial districts of the state”. According to him, “our ears are choked with the new doctrines of manipulation, “let the best man win”. We are satisfied that Eastern Ijaws have solid, credible and competent young men and women who can offer real leadership to the state’.
In his speech, the chairman of the Steering Committee of the EDPA, Elder Lawrence Jumbo said that there is no going back in demand for Ijaw Governor in 2015. According to him, the uplanders have produced a governor for sixteen (16) years, therefore justice and equity demand that 2015 is the turn of the riverine people. ###
