It’s barely one week to the much taunted primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State, following the new dates announced by the National Working Committee of the party.
The most coveted and perhaps, most controversial of all, the office of the Governor given the wealth of experience, degree of responsibility, enormity of assignments, sagacity of intellect and many more required of the occupant is scheduled to hold on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Others include State Houses of Assembly scheduled for Saturday, May 21, House of Representatives, Sunday, May 22, Senate, Monday, May 23.
Consequently, tension appears to have heightened among aspirants and political gladiators generally in the State. Campaigns are in topgear though not very overt because only party delegates are the ones to decide the winners and eventual party candidates.
In Rivers State not fewer than 15 governorship aspirants have lined up to slug it out for the Brick House.
They include Bro. Felix Obuah, the immediate past State PDP Chairman who won the governorship election back to back for the party in 2015 and 2019 respectively, Dr Abiye Sekibo, former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) during Sir Dr Peter Odili regime and former Minister of Transport, Dr Tammy Danagogo, Secretary to State Government under Governor Nyesom Wike who had to resign his position for the sake of the election in line with the electoral law, Senator Lee Maeba, former Senator that represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Rt. Hon Austin Opara, former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Senator Thompson George Sekibo, serving Senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District.
Others are Hon Siminalaye Fubara, Engr. Tele Ikuru, former Deputy Governor under Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Hon. Isaac Kamalu, former Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning and lately of finance in the State.
Others include, Senator Olaka Nwogu, Dr Alabo George Kelly, Dr Gabriel Pidomson, Chief David Briggs and Hon Boma Iyaye.
It is expected that the election will be keenly contested given the calibre of the aspirants and given the fact that barely one week to the election proper, none of the aspirants have shifted grounds, although the possibility of consensus candidate is not ruled out yet.
National Network gathered that the Governor in conjunction with the leaders of the party may come up with a consensus candidate in the coming days, before Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
This has further pushed political commentators and permutators to a very tight corner predicting who emerges the PDP arrowhead against the other parties for the next year’s elections.
However, feelers from opinion molders tend to point to the direction of Bro. Felix Obuah. The Ogba-born politician is being ticked good on account of his large heart, generosity, detribalized disposition, wealth of political experience and mastery of election winning strategies among others.
Before now, sections of media have been replete with prayers and calls on the PDP hierarchy to give all the aforementioned qualities a deep thought in choosing their party candidates especially for the office of the governor.
It’s also the thinking of the PDP supporters and fans that the choice made at the primaries will to a reasonable measure, determine how the party will fare in the elections in Rivers State where other parties like the All Progressives Congress, APC, seem to be prepared more than ever to take over the reins of power from the ruling PDP.
One particular thing of note however, is that all aspirants have been maturedly conducting themselves, no bickering, no hate speeches, no obvious acts of manoeuvre which is a credit to Governor Nyesom Wike as the leader of the party in the state.
