Rivers South East press for governorship slot in 2015

PORT HARCOURT: People of Rivers south east senatorial district are set to press home their demand for the governorship slot of the state with a 50, 000-man road show in Port Harcourt.


Coordinator, Rivers south East Renaissance Movement, Mr Dormu Nwinang who spoke in Port Harcourt on the proposed road show said various ethnic groups in the state have offered to be part of the exercise.


“Solidarity messages from other socio-political groups that share the same aspirations with Rivers South East Renaissance Movement will be part of the campaign show. Already not fewer than five of such groups from Rivers East and Rivers West senatorial districts have indicated what can be described as “courageous interest to align with the agitation of people of Rivers south east senatorial district”, he said.

According to him Rivers south east is the only senatorial district that has not produced a governor since the creation of the state in 1967.While appealing to other senatorial districts to concede the governorship to Rivers south east in 2015 Mr Nwinang said the senatorial area is also home to several upland and riverine communities in the state.


“If you talk of the riverine people of the state you also find them in the Rivers south east senatorial district. The people of Opobo are riverine and Ijaw. If you talk of upland you find them in Oyigbo, Ogoni, Eleme. So the Rivers south east senatorial district has all the natural divide of the state”, he said.


“The 50, 000-man road show is one of the organisation’s many programmes earmarked to demand for equitable and fair power sharing among the three senatorial districts that make up Rivers state”, he added.


Rivers South East senatorial district has the following local government areas: Eleme, Oyigbo, Tai, Khana, Gokhana, Opobo/Nkoro and Andoni. Continuing, the group said they had procured over 80, 000 signatures, noting that they would still get more to press home their agitation for the next governor to come from the senatorial district. On power rotation, the body said the governorship position should rotate among the senatorial districts, stressing that it would be more realistic than saying power should rotate among ethnic nationalities.


“For us in Rivers south east senatorial district , we are prepared and willing to take it not minding the particular ethnic group in the district”, the group said.

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