THE declaration by the chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Obuah, that zoning principle would not be upheld in choosing the party’s candidate for the up-coming governorship election has continued to receive knocks from members of the party in the state.
A group, the ‘Coalition of Democrats’ ( CoD), yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, joined other political pressure groups in the state to campaign against the perceived plan by the PDP to impose a governorship candidate on the people.
In a statement signed by its media Director and Publicity, Philip Gbaranwi, the group predicted victory for the state APC in the election if the PDP insists on doing away with zoning and rotational arrangement for the governorship seat.
It will be recalled that Obua, after a meeting with members of his executive and party chairmen from the 23 local government areas of the state, had resolved to jettison zoning of electives offices, especially the governorship position of the state in the 2015 election. Analysts believed that the move was meant to pave way for the Supervisory Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, to succeed Governor Chibuike Amaechi next year.
Wike and Amaechi are from the same Ikwerre ethnic nationality and of the south east senatorial district. Groups and individuals, especially from the agitating riverine and Ogoni extractions of the state, had earlier condemned the announcement, maintaining that it is wrong for another Ikwerre person to emerge governor after Amaechi.
Meanwhile, Governor Amaechi and his All Progressive Congress (APC), members have been canvassing for either a riverine or Ogoni governorship candidate to allow for equity, justice and fair play in the multi-ethnic state. Earlier several groups and organizations had opposed the plan. A delegate at the just-concluded National Conference, Annkio Briggs, had said that the state would be forced to vote against the PDP if it did not present a riverine or Ogoni candidate in 2015.
Source: TheNation
