In no distant time there will be a new governor in Rivers State elected by the people to run affairs of the state for a four-year term according to the constitution and already governorship aspirants have indicated interest to run in the race.
These cut across all political parties including Labour Party, Accord Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and main opposition party All Progressives Congress (APC) where already there appears to be a consensus aspirant.
The governor of a state in Nigeria’s federation spends four years in office in which he pilots the affairs of the state and relies on other arms of the government to run a successful administration.
This year marks the beginning of political season for next year’s election in which the governorship aspirants will work for realization of their ambition.
One of such governorship aspirants on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party is the immediate past Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State, Bro. Felix Obuah, who already had bought and submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms for the governorship race billed to take place next year.
Described as a foremost governorship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party, Bro. Felix Obuah, had had his nomination and expression of interest forms for the governorship race submitted on his behalf on April 16, 2022 by the Commissioner for Youth, Hon. Prince Ohia, and others at the party secretariat.
A statement released said that the submission of the forms marked the preparedness of the governorship aspirant to take over the reins of power and consolidate on legacies of the current governor, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Speaking with journalists the Commissioner said he was happy he had led other party faithful to submit the forms on behalf of the foremost governorship aspirant of the party in the state.
And also expressing optimism he said given the pedigree of the immediate past Chairman of the party his chances of getting the party’s ticket for the election were bright.
“You know that the PDP is a big, strong and united family. At the nick of time, we shall sit down and look at all the aspirants and consider them whether through consensus or through balloting system and get the best. Bro. Felix Obuah has all it takes to win the governorship election in Rivers State, if he gets the PDP ticket”.
A household name in Rivers State, the immediate past Chairman of the party has touched on lives of millions of people in the state through philanthropy and is a loyal and committed member of the party and supporter of the governor and is God-fearing.
Talking about his time in office as the Chairman of the party, the incumbent governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had had cause to praise him while also asking that his successor should emulate him as he spoke at the Obi Wali International Convention Centre where a state congress held to elect his successor, Amb. Desmond Akawor.
Governor Nyesom Wike said that the immediate past Chairman of the party was able to keep the party together and aspirants on the party’s platform were able to win elections in the state.
He also said the immediate past Chairman of the party was able to have good working relationship with council chairmen at the time and had recorded huge success.
Governor Nyesom Wike said at the time that “Let me thank our State Chairman – and I tell people that loyalty is not by mouth, loyalty is not by showing appearance, loyalty is not by coming to see the governor every day – loyalty is your conduct. Loyalty is those things you do at the back of those leaders you say that they are your leaders.
“I don’t know how many of you would have passed the temptation he passed where the state government had to revoke his land, had to revoke his hotel, but he stood firm. He said ‘take my land, take my hotel, I will stand with the Minister’ which is me today and since he became the Chairman, he has never wavered one day.
“Yes, we are all human beings. You could make one or two mistakes but if you are talking in terms of sabotage to the government, in terms of selling the party, Felix has never one day, he has never one day done that”.
Saying that the immediate past Chairman of the party believed in party ideals he wanted his successor to perform as admirably as his predecessor.
Ahead of the primary a coalition of youth groups appealed to delegates in the party to give the governorship ticket to the immediate past Chairman of the party and led by Youths Earnestly Seek Obuah aka YES-O, the youths appealed to the delegates to give the ticket to the immediate past Chairman of the party saying that he is eminently qualified.
Represented by State Chairman of Youths Earnestly Seek Obuah, Hon. Charles Ogechie and the President of National Union of Rivers State Students, Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology chapter, Comrade Hannah Dabie, as well as the State Chairman of CUPP, Kukang Joseph Ledum, the groups in a statement urged the party to consider the immediate past Chairman of the party as consensus candidate saying his candidature would be good brand to market the party to the people of the state across party lines.
“Considering the past leadership styles and dutiful performance of Bro. Felix Obuah both as former ONELGA Chairman, immediate past Chairman of PDP for two consecutive terms, former IPAC Chairman in the state, businessman, sports promoter, farmer, philanthropist etc, we have no doubt that Bro. Obuah has enormous capacity to deliver,” they said while he had been tested in both public and private sectors and had recorded success.
“With Bro. Felix Obuah, Rivers people will rejoice as he will consolidate on the efforts of His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, and bring smiles on faces of Rivers people through his open-door policy”.
Other groups too had called on him to run for governor of Rivers State and promised to pay for the cost of his governorship nomination and expression of interest forms and give him support.
Fondly called Go Round, the governorship aspirant is known throughout the state and had had good working relationship with local government chairmen in his time as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
As an ardent supporter of the governor who has seen him perform along with his zeal to develop the state the immediate past Chairman of the party will work as hard as the current governor if given the party’s ticket to go into the race and win the governorship election in Rivers State.
But whoever becomes the next governor of Rivers State will have huge responsibility on his shoulders and must perform like the current governor Chief Nyesom Wike.
Governor Nyesom Wike had been congratulated for legacy projects executed by him by former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Bello as well as two former Senate Presidents David Mark and Adolphus Wabara and Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal and host of others.
He had also received series of awards.
And the governor had said that he would not anoint his successor which means that the race is open as all governorship aspirants can contest while a candidate emerges at the end to compete with other governorship candidates across party lines in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
All things being equal PDP is the winning party.
