PRESS RELEASE
The attention of Kalika Assembly, a socio-political organization of Kalabari-Ijaw people has been drawn to a press statement emanating from a radio programme that featured the President, Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and published in several local tabloids to the effect that Rivers people have endorsed Ogoni candidacy for 2015 governorship race.
Kalika Assembly congratulates MOSOP for the bold step in canvassing Ogoni candidacy for 2015 governorship and also commends KAGOTE which had also canvassed this position for Ogoni people.
We note that although Ogoni is one of the large ethnic nationalities in Rivers State (a position it shares with Ikwerre, Kalabari, Etche, Ekpeye etc), the attempt by MOSOP to portray Ogoni as the only victim in Rivers politics does not tell the full story.
The truth is that only three ethnic groups of Okrika, Ndoni and Ikwerre have produced elected governors while Ikwerre, Etche, Ndoni, Opobo and Andoni have produced elected deputy governors. The rest of the ethnic groups which include Kalabari, Etche, Ogba, Ekpeye and many others like Ogoni are yet to produce the Chief Executive of Rivers State.
It is not true, as claimed by the President of MOSOP, that in the 46 years of the existence of Rivers State, governorship rotates among the Senatorial Districts. This cannot be true because the Senatorial Districts have been shuffled and reshuffled in the past and are still subject to reshuffling in subsequent constituency delineation. The Senatorial Districts can therefore, not be a reliable yardstick for a fair rotation of the governorship of any state.
If MOSOP insists that governorship rotates among Senatorial Districts, can MOSOP explain to Rivers people why Rufus Ada-George, Celestine Omehia and Rotimi Amaechi became governors coming from the same Rivers East Senatorial District?
The truth is that there is no written agreement on how to rotate the governorship of Rivers State and no ethnic group has been barred from contesting previous governorship elections. However, the founding fathers of the State and subsequent managers of our political space evolved methods of maintaining balance and equity in the polity by rotating major political offices among the geo-political zones. These geo-political zones are mixed up in the three Senatorial Districts as follows: Old Ahoada zone, Ikwerre zone, Kalabari zone, Ogoni zone, Obolo/Ibani zone, Etche/Oyigbo zone and Wakrike zone.
The geo-political zones consist of different Local Government Areas that are in some cases made up of diverse ethnic nationalities that cannot be protected adequately by the arbitrary composition of Senatorial Districts. Worst still, the Senatorial Districts are subject to periodical reviews and changes but the nationalities that make up the geo-political zones remain unchangeable and have therefore become the most objective criteria for rotating political offices.
We recall that without any reference to Senatorial zoning but in strict adherence to the spirit of fairness among these geo-political zones, Kalabari people literarily gave away the governorship to a sister ethnic group in 1999 and vigorously supported yet another group in 2007. The sole reason Kalabari conceded the governorship to other ethnic groups was to create balance and equity in the polity after two Ijaw sons Chief Melford Okilo and Chief Rufus Ada-George had become governors. It is therefore a distortion/manipulation of our political history for any group to now insist on senatorial zoning.
Kalika Assembly believes that it would amount to an act of gross geo-political imbalance and insensitivity for Ogoni to produce the next governor after Dr. Peter Odili from Ndoni, Barrister Celestine Omehia and Rt.Hon. Rotimi Amaechi from Ikwerre have occupied the Brick House. It is therefore our considered opinion that the next governor of Rivers State should in fairness come from the “Riverine” after the above three “Upland” governors. Kalika Assembly is constrained to use these terminologies for its exactitude.
We believe that Ogoni having produced a Senator, Secretary to State Government and Deputy Speaker in the current dispensation, should produce the Speaker or Deputy Governor in 2015 before aspiring to the governorship after Kalabari. Thereafter the Obolo/Ibani, Etche/Oyigbo and Okrika zones shall exercise the same rights and privileges.
In conclusion, we assure all Rivers people that Kalabari is open to dialogue and is always ready to concede to superior arguments. We call on MOSOP, KAGOTE and other ethnic nationality organizations in Rivers State to strategically engage Kalika Assembly for mutual cooperation and smooth transition in 2015. We must work together to decisively stop political marauders who are bent on taking undue advantages of the current flux in the polity to perpetuate political hegemony and subjugate the rest of us.
We promise that should Ogoni and all Rivers people consider it fit to support Kalabari in 2015; we shall present level-headed and time-tested Kalabari candidates who when elected shall ensure uniform development, peace and stability in the state through fairness, equity and respect for Rivers people.
Kalikuluku Kalika
Kalabari ene bate
O weni saki
Source: RiversPolitics