By: Felix Ikpotor
As the race for Rivers State Brick House continues, a former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly and stalwart of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the state, Chief Friday Nubari Nke-ee (Fenko) has stated that the only hope of the Ogoni ethnic nationality producing a governor in the 2023 general elections is in the SDP.
Nke-ee who recently resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said his former party and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State does not guarantee the Ogonis any chance in the forthcoming election.
He also described APC in the state as a social club that is not ready to win elections.
The former commissioner for youths in the state said SDP is the only viable alternative for Rivers people.
“As far as we are concerned, the hope of the Ogoni people lies in SDP. That’s the only party that has considered the aspiration of the Ogoni people. In PDP, the governorship candidate is in Opobo local government area, just close to us and in that government, and should he win, no Ogoni man can be speaker because you can’t send governor and speaker to thesame senatorial zone (Rivers South East) as it has never happened. You also see that the deputy governorship candidate is from Rivers West Senatorial District. And now the only opening is Rivers East which is the Ikwerre dominated zone and that’s why a four-term House of Assembly member has been allowed to go again so that he will be the speaker. So where is the hope of the Ogoni people in that government? We will not be there. We will not be Chief Judge, we will not be governor, we will not be speaker, in the three arms if government, we will not be anywhere. Infact, in PDP, there is no hope for the Ogonis. As for that our brother in APC, you can see what’s happening that a governorship candidate who wants to rule Rivers State does not know the names of the local government areas he wants to rule. He can’t be a governor because for you to be a governor, you must know the people you want to lead and your constituency. Ask Senator Magnus Abe about how many villages are in Ogoni he will tell you, ask him how many are in Kalabari, he will tell you. Now as common as a local government, a gubernatorial candidate does not know, is that man ready for the job? He’s not. So the hope of the Ogoni man is in SDP. We are talking about deputy governor, yes! What’s the role of a deputy governor? He’s like a spare tire, he doesn’t have any function. The constitution does not give him any function, functions are only assigned to him by the governor and if he wants you to only sit down in the office, that would be all. So the Ogoni people have been clamouring that haven stayed for fifty five years in Rivers State, supported every government that has come in place, that it’s time for us because every apprentice must have a graduation day. So the Ogoni people have their hope strengthened and strong in the SDP”, he stated.
The SDP stalwart who is seeking to represent the people of Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency on the platform of the party in the forthcoming elections, said his chances of clinching victory at the polls is bright due to his previous antecedents as a state lawmaker and as a commissioner.
“As for other areas of human capacity development, when I was a member of the house, I paid for Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination forms for over fifty applicants from my constituency and ensure that a few of them who passed went to the university. We also made some recommendations for jobs because I believe in human capacity development. So within the period, even though the government was hostile, we had good vision and good intentions for the people but the environment was not conducive for us to implement some of those ideas that we brought to the table. Overall, we have them good representation in the House,” he added.
He further called on Rivers people to rally round the party to salvage the state from the hands of two individuals bent on imposing their stooges are governors in 2023.
“We are going on rescue mission to liberate Rivers State from the hands of abductors. Rivers State has been kidnapped by two gentlemen and we need to literate the state. We want to take Rivers State from a personal yard back to the people,” Nke-ee stressed.
He also called on the people to go and obtain their Permanent Voters’ Card to be able to vote during the elections while urging officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to go back to the grassroots as the agitation for more registration is much.
