Although? 2015 is more than 28 months away, the race to succeed the incumbent governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has begun in earnest with Rivers South-East and Rivers West senatorial districts battling to produce the next governor of the oil and gas rich state.
Rivers South-East senatorial zone comprises Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Eleme, Tai, Khana, Gokana and Oyigbo Local Government Areas while Rivers West senatorial zone is made up of Ahoada-East, Ahoada-West, Abua/Odual, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Degema, Akuku-Toru and Asari-Toru Local Government Areas.
The Rivers East senatorial zone where Governor Amaechi and Sir Celestine Ngozichim Omehia come from includes; Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City, Ogu/Bolo, Omuma, Etche, Emohua and Okrika Local Government Areas.
Amaechi took over the mantle of leadership of the state on October 25, 2007 from Omehia, who spent only five months in office before he was removed by a Supreme Court of Judgement. He took over from Dr. Peter Otunanya Odili on May 29, 2007.
Odili, a medical practitioner -turned politician who governed the state between 1999 and 2007, hails from the Rivers West senatorial zone.
It is on record that since the creation of Rivers State in 1967, the Rivers South-East senatorial zone has not produced a governor but has produced two deputy governors in the persons of Sir Gabriel Toby and the incumbent deputy governor, Mr. Tele Ikuru.
Today, some prominent politicians from the Rivers South-East and Rivers West senatorial districts have either publicly declared interest or have begun underground work to actualise their dream to succeed the incumbent governor come May 29, 2015.
Prominent among those from the Rivers South-East are Senator Magnus Ngei Abe who is currently representing that senatorial district in the National Assembly and Hon. Dakuku Adolphus Peterside who is a member of the House of Representatives while Prince Tonye Princewill is the only politician from the Rivers West senatorial district who has so far publicly declared interest in the race.
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Senator Magnus Ngei Abe
Abe is the current senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial district in the Senate where he serves as chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Down-stream).
An indigene of Bera community in Gokana Local Government Area of the state and a leading member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he was secretary to the state government between 2007 and 2011.
Abe has a strong political structure which he had built over the years while serving as a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly and later as commissioner for information before he was appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) by Amaechi.
As a man who had not hidden his desire to succeed the incumbent governor, this legal practitioner-turned politician will certainly make good use of his structures and connections to achieve this desire.
Abe has began the empowerment of members of his constituency through the provision of fishing equipment to fishermen, loans to market women and non-refundable grants to students in tertiary institutions.
In what many may view as an impracticable mode of representation, the senator recently enrolled as a member of the yam and dry fish sellers association of Bori main market in Khana Local Government Area of the state.
A similar gesture was also displayed at Oyigbo main market in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state where he joined the okro and plantain sellers association, eliciting jubilation among the traders.
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Hon. Dakuku Adolphus Peterside
Peterside who is the member representing Andoni/ Opobo/Nkoro federal constituency in the House of Representatives, hails from Opobo town in Opobo/Nkoro Lcal Government Area of the state.
A member of the ruling PDP, the lawmaker who is in his first tenure in the National Assembly, has a good number of followers, not just in his constituency, but in the entire Rivers South-East senatorial zone.
?He would certainly make good use of his state-wide political structure which he built while serving as Chairman of Opobo/Nkoro local government council as well as the Commissioner for Works under Amaechi.
Peterside recently organised the first-ever Andoni-Opobo-Nkoro Economic Summit with the theme, ‘Shared Responsibility, Shared Prosperity’, which not a few person believe was part of the arrangements to launch himself into the governorship race.
He however said the summit was aimed at showcasing the diverse economic potentials of Andoni, Opobo and Nkoro communities, with the aim of attracting investors to the area.
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Prince Tonye Princewill
Princewill, the scion of the revered Kalabari monarch, King Theophilus Princewill, hails from Buguma city in Asari-Toru Local Government Area, which is in Rivers West senatorial district of the state.
Now a member of the PDP, the engineer turned politician contested the governorship seat in 2007 under the banner of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and is believed to be oiling his political structure, the Princewill Political Associates (PPA) to attain his aspiration to rule? the state.
A close ally of the incumbent governor, Princewill recently instituted a N25 million micro-finance fund for women in rural parts of the state, an indication that he may be working towards winning the hearts of the electorate at the grassroot level.
During the recent flood disaster which affected most communities in Rivers West senatorial district, Princewill was among the few politicians in the state who identified with the victims and went ahead to donate relief materials to the various relief camps scattered across the state.
This gesture, unarguably, boosted his image and the name, Tonye Princewill, became a house-hold name in communities across the state.
To actualise his aspiration, the governorship hopeful recently began the expansion of his political group, the PPA, through the establishment and inauguration of chapters and wings in the 23 local government areas of the state.
Although he has not disclosed whether he will contest on the platform of the PDP or any other political party, Princewill has also reached out to Igbos residing in the state for their support towards his aspiration through the inauguration of the Igbo traders’ wing of PPA.
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