By: Felix Ikpotor
As part of efforts aimed at galvanizing stakeholders’ support for the governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the South South Youths Initiative, SSYI, has called on Engr Sam Kinanee, the deputy governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections in the state to support the governor.
The youth group made the call during a private visit to the LP stalwart at his Port Harcourt residence.
National President of South South Youths Initiative, Imeabe Saviour Oscar who led a delegation of the body to the visit said they are aware of the antecedents of Engr Kinanee, stressing that with his wealth of experience, he is fit to be part of the government of Sir Siminialayi Fubara.
Oscar emphasised that with the current battle facing the governor, stakeholders like Kinanee is most needed to ensure grassroots support for the governor especially in the Khana and Ogoni axis of the state.
The group urged the LP leader to reconsider his position of staying away from Fubara’s administration.
“With the ongoing battle against Governor Fubara, it’s hoped that with people like you with him, Khana can be settled for him. People like you shouldn’t stay away from this current administration because we know your antecedents and that’s why we supported you very well when you contested to be deputy governor of Rivers State under the platform of the Labour Party.
“So we are appealing to you to please join hands and support his Excellency, Sir Siminialayi Fubara. As a group we are ready to work with you in that light and to ensure the working relationship that existed before now is maintained.
“We know you have what it takes to make the government of Sir Siminialayi Fubara better, we are here to appeal to your conscience that whatever reason that has made you to stay away from this government should be reconsidered,” Oscar added.
Responding, Engr Kinanee thanked the group for the support rendered to him during his electioneering campaigns in 2023, stressing that he holds the group in high esteem.
On the call to support Fubara, the LP leader noted that as a mark of support for the governor, the party withdrew their case against the election of the governor at the Supreme Court in 2024.
He however regretted that some promises made by the governor to the party was yet to be fulfilled, stressing that the governor should revisit the promises made to the party and implement them to further win the confidence of himself and his supporters into his fold.
He said: “On the call for me to work with Governor Fubara, it’s not a bad one because everyone who has love for Rivers State would want the state to move forward”.
“On my willingness to work with the governor, you are all aware that after the elections I went on air on the need for youths and women of Rivers State to work with the governor and we went further to withdraw our case from the Supreme Court. He made promises of what he would do if the Labour Party supports him and we expected that he would respect those promises but till today he has not responded to any.
“But if he’s willing to do some of those things, who are we? It’s a government and we want to be part of it to contribute to the kind of Rivers State we want to see, the kind of Rivers State that would be able to compete with Lagos not the kind of state that would be having issues here and there,” Kinanee added.
