As count down to the 2023 general elections begin amid rising expectations, government of the people at the state level is taking the center stage with concerned citizens making permutations regarding the individual who occupies the seat of power.
Rivers State is not left out, as side talks are rising by the day. Some even speculate, albeit mischievously, that some names have already been penciled down to be handed governorship tickets by their parties, majorly the two principal political parties in the state, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) respectively.
It was in the light of the above that, some patriotic members of the state, buoyed by the desire that the strides already gained by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo, should be sustained, are calling on the Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Bro. Felix Obuah to take up the gauntlet and declare for governorship, come 2023.
At the last count, over twenty of these groups have hinged their calls on the assurance that Bro. Obuah remains the only person with the Midas touch, a one-hundred percent chance of getting the guber ticket of the PDP, is he runs.
Like the proverbial gold fish that has no hiding place, Obuah, according to the groups, also has a one-hundred percent chance of winning the governorship election if the PDP gives him the ticket.
One of the groups, The Enyike Vanguard (TEV) says it is rooting for the RIWAMA Sole Administrator for governorship of Rivers State because of what it described as his enviable pedigree in administrative competence, financial prudence and unbeatable acts of charity.
National Coordinator of TEV, a civil society group based in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA), Chief Wednesday Obi, said the pendulum fell on the Ikemba Idemili as he is the largest employer of labour in Rivers State.
His words, “God gave Obuah to Rivers State for the simple reason that he will follow the footsteps of Governor Wike and build on the legacies he will leave behind.
“While other big men in the State refused to invest and provide jobs for our teeming youths in the State, Bro. Obuah has built hotels and other industries in his Omoku community and employed thousands of youths. He thinks homewards, and if he is given the chance to become governor, he will think homewards by creating job opportunities for people of the state”.
Speaking in Port Harcourt penultimate Wednesday, the Director-General of Impact Multipliers Development Initiative (IDI), Comrade (Dr) Prince Collins said Bro. Obuah should be given the chance to pilot the affairs of the state so as to sustain the face-lift given the state by Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike.
According to him, Bro. Obuah is already a household name whose philanthropic life cuts across party boundaries, as such the victory of PDP in the state will be guaranteed.
In the same vein, the Otu Ozimini Age Grade of Ogba Kingdom has reiterated its call on Bro. Obuah who is popularly known as Go-Round, to contest the governorship election in Rivers State, come 2023.
A statement by its National Chairman, Prince Charles Amadike-Otoboh, JP, who is the Mmboh Krikri of Ogbaland, said Obuah has all it takes to be the next governor of the state having served meritoriously in his previous assignments.
“He has proven beyond doubt that he is an exceptional philanthropist, father of orphans and servant-leader par excellence”, he said.
Similarly, another group known as Ogoni Patriots has appealed to the Bro. Obuah to hearken to the voice of the people of the state, to continue from where Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike would stop.
Rising from a general meeting in Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area on Sunday, leader of the group, Mr. Lebari Brown said Bro. has all the capacity and competence to pilot the affairs of Rivers State.
“A facts check on this great colossus showed the immense successes recorded as ONELGA Council Chairman; he brazed the trail in the hospitality industry; he built a great family as State Chairman of the PDP, and he is leaving a great managerial legacy at the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA). Let’s give him the chance and our state will be better for it”, Mr. Brown said.
Also, a group of traders under the aegis of ‘Friends In Building Materials Dealers Association’ has declared Bro. Felix Obuah as the best candidate for the best interest of Rivers State.
Coordinator of the group and Managing Director of Vitmatts Tech. Co., Port Harcourt, Mr. Martins Umejiego told National Network during a chat that the RIWAMA Sole Administrator has been on the ‘radar’ of his group for over a decade, stating that Bro. Obuah has the capacity to take the New Rivers vision blueprint to the next level.
The Oboru Progressives Union, Port Harcourt, a body dedicated to crusading good governance has also called on the PDP to give its governorship ticket to Bro. Felix Obuah as according to them, he is the only man whose foot can fit into the big shoes to be left by Governor Wike.
Coordinator of the group, Prince Franklyn Erekosima in a chat with National Network, said, “Bro. Felix Obuah is a detribalized Rivers man. He is even non-partisan in his dealings with people. He is tasted and trusted. He is accepted by all Rivers people including non-indigenes in and outside the state”.
Other groups equally pushing for the candidature of the RIWAMA boss said their position was based on Bro. Obuah’s impressive reputation both nationally and internationally.
They cited the numerous national and international awards garnered by Bro. Obuah, adding that through his philanthropic gestures, Mba Anabara Agu of Orashi Kingdom has touched thousands of individuals across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
