•Say we’re not political underdogs

By Clifford Ndujihe

THE BONNY people of Rivers State are making strong claims to the governorship of the state after Governor Rotimi Amaechi in 2015 because they are the most politically marginalized part of the state.

Noting that the people had never produced governor, deputy governor, speaker, deputy speaker, chief judge, secretary to the state government and ruling party state chairman among others since the creation of the state and given the power sharing arrangement between Riverine and Upland Rivers, they said equity and justice demand that Bonny people should produce the next governor.

Speaking on the banner of Bonny Consultative Movement (BCM) after an emergency meeting last week, the people said they could not be political underdogs in the state. They said Bonny people have taken a position over the political slavery the community is sentenced to and are determined to change the storyline and history to make Bonny adequately relevant in the political equation of Nigeria.

A BCM Leader, Mr. Spinola Ezekiel Hart said it is the turn of Bonny to produce the governor going by the prevailing rotation principle. According to him, because of this rotation arrangement it will be the turn of the Ikwere people to produce the next senator from the East Senatorial District.

He said the Federal Government applied the same principle in the appointment of ministers, a reason the state had Upland and Riverine ministers until few days ago when the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike resigned. He disclosed that last week’s emergency meeting was convened to set up a machinery to reach out to appropriate quarters to redress the injustice

“Bonny people vote in elections and their votes count. The excuse that Bonny is a minority is used to deceive the public. And even if so, Nembe and Ogbia minority groups in Bayelsa State produced a governor, and in Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili hails from a minority group and he became the governor of Rivers State. The minority theory is the most uncooked argument of our time, used as a tool for discrimination.”

Speaking at the event, a governorship aspirant Barr. (Mrs.) Abie Atedoghu Bob – Abbey Hart said: “Bonny people are not political under dogs, they are entitled to have equal opportunities as other ethnic groupings, they have the capacity to express themselves, and if we agree that democracy is the allocation of resources and values then the chance and political space of Bonny people must be respected and not reduced to a mere article of trade to other people far from Bonny and having no relationship to Bonny.”

She said Bonny people have waited long enough for this time to come and cannot lose the chance to anyone for anything. She said “Nigeria cannot take from us everything we have including our lives which we are sacrificing for Nigeria and also rob us of our political well – being. Bonny people are politically strong to run for the office of the governor of Rivers State.”

Zoning and power sharing arrangement

According Bonny people, power sharing and devolution in Rivers State has been along the Upland and Riverine political divide “and a clear understanding of the zoning order shows that this is the turn of Bonny Local Government Area which has not been considered in any power order in Nigeria since 1914 to produce the governor of Rivers State.

“The Kalabari bloc of the Riverine under West Senatorial District of Rivers State has dominated the House of Assembly offices of deputy speaker (eight years) and speaker (eight years).

The Ogoni of the Upland divide have dominated the deputy speakership for (eight years), they also have held the South East Senatorial District in the last seven years as well as the office of the Secretary to the Government of Rivers State.

“Just as in the same South East Senatorial District, Opobo /Nkoro and Andoni Local Government Areas of the Riverine have in 15 years produced deputy governors to two Upland Governors -, Odili, Celestine and Amaechi.

“Also, the Judiciary has been in the past 15 years the exclusive preserve of the Ikwere people where Celestine and Amaechi hail from.

The executive arm of government table in the last 20 years or so in Rivers State is as follows, Okilo and Frank Eke and Dominic Anucha, Ada Rufus George and Peter Odili that is Riverine chiefs and Upland deputies.

Then Peter Odili and GTG Toby, Celestine Omehia and Tele Ikuru and now Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Tele Ikuru that is Upland chiefs and Riverine deputies. Even in the Military era Late Chief Dagogo Jack served as deputy governor under a Military arrangement.