The race for the Rivers State government house is touted to be one of
the major reasons behind the roiling political crisis in the oil-rich
state which was blown wide open with the April 15, judgment by an Abuja
High Court sacking the Governor Rotimi Amaechi-backed People’s
Democratic Party executive of Godspower Ake replacing it with the Felix
Obouah-led executive.
Before that time, not many people understood the reason behind the frosty relationships...
Especially those between Governor Chibuike Amaechi and one of his
political associates, Nyesom Wike, Minister of State for Education, who
was Amaechi’s former Chief of Staff and the Director General of his
Campaign Organisation for the 2011 election.
As far as the struggle for governorship of the state was concerned,
speculations about their misunderstanding became rife soon after Amaechi
settled down for his second term in office with both of them denying
any quarrel between them.
But everything came to the public glare after the Abuja High Court judgment of April 15 and the days immediately following it. In a radio programme in Port Harcourt that weekend, Wike openly accepted that he and Amaechi had become politically estranged while also stating that it was not dependent on Amaechi to decide who succeeds him as governor of the state saying that both of them being from the Ikwerre ethnic nationality was not enough justification for Amaechi not to support him if he decides to go for the post.
That statement went a long way to shed more light on rumours making the rounds within and outside the state that Wike who is now leading the opposition onslaught against Amaechi might be eyeing the plum job in Rivers State. There are a couple of others like him positioning themselves for the position both from the same ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform and other political parties.
Magnus Abe Senator Magnus Abe represents the Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly. He was the immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), a position he left to proceed to the senate after the 2011 elections.
Abe is a strong supporter of Governor Amaechi and isbelieved to have the governor’s backing to succeed him in 2015. Abe, one of the leading lights of the Senate, despite being a first timer has been very vocal on wide range of national issues especially the downstream oil and gas sector where he is Chairman of the senate committee.
From the Ogoni, ethnic nationality- a section of the state that has not produced the governor of the state since it was created in the thick of the Nigerian civil war in 1967 with many believing that if considerations were to be based on the above fact, then the odds really favour him to clinch the position.
The snag however, is that Ogoni is an upland area of Rivers state whose politics was usually considered along upland and riverine dichotomy before the emergence of former Governor Peter Odili, who in his eight years as the governor destroyed the upland/riverine political dichotomy.
This made it possible for him to produce as successor Celestine Omehia, an Ikwerre man from the upland area of the state before the landmark Supreme Court judgment of October 25, 2007 that removed Omehia and replaced him with his cousin, Amaechi also from the same upland Ikwerre ethnic nationality. It is feared that if the old order of the upland/riverine political dichotomy is to form the basis of selection of who eventually runs as governorship of the state, then Magnus Abe may be a loser.
But everything came to the public glare after the Abuja High Court judgment of April 15 and the days immediately following it. In a radio programme in Port Harcourt that weekend, Wike openly accepted that he and Amaechi had become politically estranged while also stating that it was not dependent on Amaechi to decide who succeeds him as governor of the state saying that both of them being from the Ikwerre ethnic nationality was not enough justification for Amaechi not to support him if he decides to go for the post.
That statement went a long way to shed more light on rumours making the rounds within and outside the state that Wike who is now leading the opposition onslaught against Amaechi might be eyeing the plum job in Rivers State. There are a couple of others like him positioning themselves for the position both from the same ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform and other political parties.
Magnus Abe Senator Magnus Abe represents the Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly. He was the immediate past Secretary to the State Government (SSG), a position he left to proceed to the senate after the 2011 elections.
Abe is a strong supporter of Governor Amaechi and isbelieved to have the governor’s backing to succeed him in 2015. Abe, one of the leading lights of the Senate, despite being a first timer has been very vocal on wide range of national issues especially the downstream oil and gas sector where he is Chairman of the senate committee.
From the Ogoni, ethnic nationality- a section of the state that has not produced the governor of the state since it was created in the thick of the Nigerian civil war in 1967 with many believing that if considerations were to be based on the above fact, then the odds really favour him to clinch the position.
The snag however, is that Ogoni is an upland area of Rivers state whose politics was usually considered along upland and riverine dichotomy before the emergence of former Governor Peter Odili, who in his eight years as the governor destroyed the upland/riverine political dichotomy.
This made it possible for him to produce as successor Celestine Omehia, an Ikwerre man from the upland area of the state before the landmark Supreme Court judgment of October 25, 2007 that removed Omehia and replaced him with his cousin, Amaechi also from the same upland Ikwerre ethnic nationality. It is feared that if the old order of the upland/riverine political dichotomy is to form the basis of selection of who eventually runs as governorship of the state, then Magnus Abe may be a loser.
Tonye Princewill.
The Kalabari crown prince was the Governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the April 2007 election and was contesting the emergence of Omehia, the PDP candidate before the Supreme Court upturned his (Omehia’s) victory .
He withdrew his case against the PDP when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of his friend, Chibuike Amaechi. Thereafter he remained the leader of the ACN, then, the leading opposition in the state until his return to the PDP following the footsteps of his political mentor and former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar before the 2011 general elections.
He, like others has been silent about his plans for 2015 but analysts say he is only bidding his time and that it would not be surprising if at the right time, he emerges as one of the contenders for the top job.
Hon. Dakuku Peterside
He is the member representing the Andoni/Opobo federal constituency in the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House committee on Petroleum- Downstream.
Like Magus Abe, he was a member of the kitchen cabinet of Governor Amaechi in his first term where he served as Commissioner for Works. Peterside is widely touted to be interested in taking over the mantle of leadership in Rivers State from Amaechi come 2015 though it is not clear whether he enjoys any support from the governor.
But judging from the mindset of Nigerian politicians, political watchers in the state are saying that Peterside might be standing as Amaechi’s plan B for governorship slot, assuming the riverine area succeeds in winning the opportunity to produce the next governor of the state.
Senator George Sekibo
George Sekibo represents Rivers West Senatorial district and is said to be nursing the ambition to step into Amaechi’s office as governor of Rivers State in 2015.
He is considered a strong contender, not necessarily because of his popularity in the state for very little is read or known of him besides serving two terms in the senate.
His strongest point is having behind him the support of Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan, her Okrika kinswoman and who is desperate to produce the next governor of Rivers State.
The above stated ambition of the first lady is also believed to be behind the current crisis rocking the state People’s Democratic Party as the first lady is believed to be one of the very strong, unseen hands fanning the embers of discord in which the Rivers State PDP is currently enmeshed all with the aim of removing the state party structure from governor Amaechi.
Though he has not at any time publicly indicated interest in the job, but it is expected that with madam behind him and having tasted power at the periphery in the state, he would not want the opportunity to slip by him if indeed the Presidency wants him to take over the Brick House from Amaechi.
Precious Abiye Sekibo
The former Minister of Transport under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration has never hidden his ambition to be the governor of Rivers state since coming into political limelight in the era of former governor Peter Odili who he served as Secretary to State Government from 1999 to 2003 before proceeding to Abuja as Minister.
He was one of those that contested the PDP Governorship primaries in Rivers State which Amaechi won but was eventually denied by the party citing the “K-leg” issue which the Supreme Court straightened with the October 25, 2007 judgment. Sekibo also contested the 2011 governorship election under the umbrella of the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) where he came a distant third polling only 60,241 and losing to Amaechi at Okrika local government, a supposed stronghold for the former Minister of Transport and native of the local government.
His recent resignation from the ACN is viewed by political watchers in the state as a strategic move by Sekibo to position himself for the expected changes that will occur in the political parties in Rivers State following rumours that governor Amaechi may leave the PDP for the yet to be registered All Progressive Congress (APC).
Celestine Omehia
Amaechi’s cousin and the runner-up in the 2011 governorship election under the All Progressive Grand Alliance is another expected contender having been denied the opportunity to fully dispense his service to the state through the October 2007 Supreme Court judgment that sacked him from the Brick House.
He came second in the 2011 election polling 112,528 votes in the election which he alleged was rigged by the PDP with the connivance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Though he lost in his effort to seek justice through the court but still has a pending case at the Supreme Court in relation with the tenure of Amaechi.
Omehia like many of the other contenders has not made public his desire to contest in 2015 but having tasted the power of the governor of Rivers State for about six months before he was thrown out by the Supreme Court and his other attempts to also return through the courts, it would be a surprise if he would not want to run for the position come 2015.
The Kalabari crown prince was the Governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the April 2007 election and was contesting the emergence of Omehia, the PDP candidate before the Supreme Court upturned his (Omehia’s) victory .
He withdrew his case against the PDP when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of his friend, Chibuike Amaechi. Thereafter he remained the leader of the ACN, then, the leading opposition in the state until his return to the PDP following the footsteps of his political mentor and former Vice- President Atiku Abubakar before the 2011 general elections.
He, like others has been silent about his plans for 2015 but analysts say he is only bidding his time and that it would not be surprising if at the right time, he emerges as one of the contenders for the top job.
Hon. Dakuku Peterside
He is the member representing the Andoni/Opobo federal constituency in the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House committee on Petroleum- Downstream.
Like Magus Abe, he was a member of the kitchen cabinet of Governor Amaechi in his first term where he served as Commissioner for Works. Peterside is widely touted to be interested in taking over the mantle of leadership in Rivers State from Amaechi come 2015 though it is not clear whether he enjoys any support from the governor.
But judging from the mindset of Nigerian politicians, political watchers in the state are saying that Peterside might be standing as Amaechi’s plan B for governorship slot, assuming the riverine area succeeds in winning the opportunity to produce the next governor of the state.
Senator George Sekibo
George Sekibo represents Rivers West Senatorial district and is said to be nursing the ambition to step into Amaechi’s office as governor of Rivers State in 2015.
He is considered a strong contender, not necessarily because of his popularity in the state for very little is read or known of him besides serving two terms in the senate.
His strongest point is having behind him the support of Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan, her Okrika kinswoman and who is desperate to produce the next governor of Rivers State.
The above stated ambition of the first lady is also believed to be behind the current crisis rocking the state People’s Democratic Party as the first lady is believed to be one of the very strong, unseen hands fanning the embers of discord in which the Rivers State PDP is currently enmeshed all with the aim of removing the state party structure from governor Amaechi.
Though he has not at any time publicly indicated interest in the job, but it is expected that with madam behind him and having tasted power at the periphery in the state, he would not want the opportunity to slip by him if indeed the Presidency wants him to take over the Brick House from Amaechi.
Precious Abiye Sekibo
The former Minister of Transport under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration has never hidden his ambition to be the governor of Rivers state since coming into political limelight in the era of former governor Peter Odili who he served as Secretary to State Government from 1999 to 2003 before proceeding to Abuja as Minister.
He was one of those that contested the PDP Governorship primaries in Rivers State which Amaechi won but was eventually denied by the party citing the “K-leg” issue which the Supreme Court straightened with the October 25, 2007 judgment. Sekibo also contested the 2011 governorship election under the umbrella of the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) where he came a distant third polling only 60,241 and losing to Amaechi at Okrika local government, a supposed stronghold for the former Minister of Transport and native of the local government.
His recent resignation from the ACN is viewed by political watchers in the state as a strategic move by Sekibo to position himself for the expected changes that will occur in the political parties in Rivers State following rumours that governor Amaechi may leave the PDP for the yet to be registered All Progressive Congress (APC).
Celestine Omehia
Amaechi’s cousin and the runner-up in the 2011 governorship election under the All Progressive Grand Alliance is another expected contender having been denied the opportunity to fully dispense his service to the state through the October 2007 Supreme Court judgment that sacked him from the Brick House.
He came second in the 2011 election polling 112,528 votes in the election which he alleged was rigged by the PDP with the connivance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Though he lost in his effort to seek justice through the court but still has a pending case at the Supreme Court in relation with the tenure of Amaechi.
Omehia like many of the other contenders has not made public his desire to contest in 2015 but having tasted the power of the governor of Rivers State for about six months before he was thrown out by the Supreme Court and his other attempts to also return through the courts, it would be a surprise if he would not want to run for the position come 2015.
By Amaechi Okonkwo
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