Kinsmen urges Fubara to secure second tenure
• Ijaws deserve second term, says group
• Rivers PDP chair flays detractors, reaffirms legitimacy
The people of Opobo nation, the home country of the incumbent Governor of Rivers State, Siminialayi Fubara, have tasked the governor to take necessary steps to ensure he is not stopped from contesting and returning to complete his second tenure in 2027.
The governor’s kinsmen under the auspices of Opobo Progressive Movement (OPM) disclosed this, yesterday, in a statement in Port Harcourt by the President of the body, Amb. Freedom Owujie. This was in reaction to a statement by the Ogoni and Oyigbo People’s Assembly (OOPA).
During a conference in Tai Local Council of the state, OOPA said that the Ogoni deserves to produce the next governor of the state in 2027. In a quick reaction, Owujie condemned the call by OOPA as inciting, noting that it was an attempt to reduce the place of Opobo people in the affairs of the state.
Meanwhile, the Rivers Restoration Movement (RRM) has cautioned political interest groups in the state against zoning the governorship candidacy away from Ijaw.
The group made the call in a statement jointly issued by its Director-General, Johnson Georgewill, and Secretary, Mrs Sarima Akpata, yesterday, in Port Harcourt. The Ogoni/Oyigbo People’s Assembly had, on Friday, endorsed the Rivers South-East Senatorial District (upland) to produce the next governor in 2027.
HOWEVER, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Chukwuemeka Aaron, has dismissed critics, reaffirming his legitimacy as the party’s leader.
Aaron, in an interview with a popular radio station, Nigeria Info 92.3 FM, yesterday, emphasised that his election was ratified by the National Working Committee (NWC) with a unanimous 17-0 vote of confidence.
The clarification followed lingering court orders and counter-orders. He noted that 3,071 delegates voted for him, comprising statutory and ad-hoc delegates, not family members or villagers.
“I bought my form, I contested, and I won. The PDP secretariat was open for the sale of forms. Those who purchased forms contested their elections and won.
“Several attempts have been made and will still be made to bring peace to PDP in the state,” he said.
According to Aaron, on Friday, September 13, 2024, all 17 members of the NWC approved his election and approved the election process that led to his emergence.
The PDP Chairman also revealed that some individuals are plotting to discredit him and the former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, aiming to undermine the party’s stability. He accused them of desperation and seeking to exploit the Orashi region’s oil resources for personal gain.
Aaron expressed respect for elder statesmen, Rufus Ada George and Sen Andrew Uchendu, but questioned their involvement in PDP’s internal affairs, as they are not party members.
He emphasised loyalty to the Acting National Chairman, the party’s de facto leader, saying: “We do not have a President, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP is like our President, So, the minister is loyal to him.
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