THE matter of who will be the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the gubernatorial election in Rivers state in 2015 is certainly going to be a major headache for the party because any mistake in this critical exercise can be catastrophic, given the fact that the state is currently under the rule of the All Progressives Congress, APC, with all the advantages that go with incumbency.
Thus, the candidate to fly the party’s flag must be be someone acceptable to the majority of the electorate at the general election, must not carry any ‘baggage’ or, in any way, be associated with any skeleton in whatever form or shape.
The aspirants
Currently, there are 14 aspirants in the race to the Brick House, Port Harcourt.
They include Barrister Nimi Walson-Jack, Barrister Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, Senator Lee Maeba, Hon. Gabriel Pidomson, Chief Barrister Lulu Briggs, Professor Don Baridam, Major Lancelot Anyanya, Engr Beks Dagogo-Jack, Engr Sampson Ngerigbara, Hon. Pawariso Samuel-Horsfall, Mrs Abie Bob Abbey-Hart, Hon. Tonye Princewill, Hon. Georgewill, Brigadier-General Remeo Obene (rtd), Comrade Ateke Tom, Dr. Silva Opusunju, Captain Nwankwo, Hon. Bennard Mikko and Hon. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja.
Among these qualified aspirants, sampled opinion from all shades of persons in the state showed that two aspirants are prominently chasing each other in the race for their party’s ticket and ultimately for the Government House. They are Hon. (Engr.) Gabriel Pidomson and Barrister Nyesom Wike. What then are the factors going for the aspirants, what are the odds that are in their favour or against and who is likely to blink? Some of the factors that will determine who bears the flag in the multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic state may include the old zoning arrangement between upland and riverine sections of the state, influences external to the state, party loyalty, etc.
Wike
In the case of Wike, the Minister of State for Education, a lawyer by profession, who went into politics in 1998. His starting point was as the chairman of his Obio/Akpo Local Government Area of the state, and from there he became the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government, from where he was nominated by Governor Rotimi Amaechi to become a minister of the Federal Republic. Barrister Wike has been minister since 2011.
Another important portion of Wike’s credential is that he wrestled and snatched the PDP structure in the state from Governor Rotimi Amaechi, when an Abuja High Court, ruled that Mr Felix Obuah is the state chairman of the party. He is expected to benefit from the PDP structure in the primaries. He is also said to enjoy the support of Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, who ‘appears’ to tacitly prefer the minister as the next governor of the state.
Pidomson
Hon Gabriel Pidomson, a former secretary to Rivers State Government and a former lawmaker elected into the State House of Assembly (1999 to 2003), has a Master’s degree in Programme and Project Management. Prior to studying at Warwick in the United Kingdom, Hon Pidomson, a quantity surveyor, had obtained two other masters degrees in Engineering Management (Civil) from the University of Port Harcourt as well as another Masters degree in International Management from the University of Liverpool. He also has a Diploma in National Security from Galilee International Institute, Israel in 2013.
Recently, members of Rivers Vanguard for Good Governance travelled to Bodo City, the home town of Hon Pidomson, to request the young and dynamic politician to deploy his wealth of experience in political engineering and management for service to fatherland. Hon Pidomson is currently a doctoral student of the Walden University USA where he is concluding his programme for a PHD in Management Information System.
Pidomson is said to be favoured by the zoning arrangement because he is from Ogoni that has four local councils in Rivers South East Senatorial District that has not produced governor.
The Ogonis have not produced Deputy Governor or Speaker of the House of Assembly or Chief Judge of the State since the creation of the state in 1967, and the return of the present democratic dispensation in 1999.
While Wike is swimming against the strong tide of unfavourable zoning arrangement, Pidomson enjoys a smooth sail because his senatorial district, Rivers South-East, is the bride of all the political parties in the State because it is the only zone or district whose turn it is to produce the next governor for Rivers state in 2015. Hon Pidomson’s ethnic group of Ken Saro Wiwa’s Ogoni people, are united in their determination to actualize their dream of producing the next Rivers State governor in 2015.
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