The Ogoni Youth Federation, OYF, has reacted to calls by a group known as the Ogoni/ Oyigbo Peoples Assembly for the zoning of the Rivers State governorship ticket in 2027 to the area.
OYF in a statement by its President-General, Dr. Legborsi Yamaabana said the call is irrational as Oyigbo and Ogoni are part of the Rivers South East Senatorial District where the current governor the state, Sir Siminialayi Fubara hails from.
Yamaabana, who described those behind the call as loyalists of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, said gone are the days when one man would sit and anoint who becomes governor of the state.
Yamaabana said: “Ordinarily, this gathering wouldn’t have warranted our attention, but the purported claims made on behalf of the Ogoni people and the Rivers South-East Senatorial District compel us to set the record straight. First and foremost, we remind Rivers people, Nigerians, and the world at large that only God can bestow power and determine leadership.
“Any assumption that someone can simply “anoint” the next Governor of Rivers State in 2027 is not only misguided but an affront to the divine authority of God.”
He added: “Secondly, the call for the 2027 governorship to be zoned to Ogoni/Oyigbo is irrational. This is because Ogoni/Oyigbo is part of the Rivers South-East Senatorial District, and the current Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, is from the same Rivers South-East Senatorial District. Therefore, any discussion about zoning the governorship to this area in 2027 is illogical and premature”.
He said it is common knowledge across the Rivers South-East Senatorial District and among all Rivers people that Governor Fubara is performing admirably as his achievements are visible to all.
He described the gathering of the group on September 13, 2024, as “a congregation of political opportunists and inconsistent actors who lack the mandate or support of the Ogoni people”.
The group further urged people of the state and Nigeria at large to disregard their antics while charging them to join hands with the governor to develop the state.
