•Report by Kamil Opeyemi
Ahead of the March 11 governorship and state assemblies’ polls, the Rivers State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has dumped its governorship candidate, Mrs Beatrice Itubo and endorsedSiminialayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Chairman of the party in the State Dienye Pepple, disclosed this position in Port Harcourt today in a communique arising from the executive meeting of the party.
The state party’s chair noted that in the interest of equity and fairness, that the party resolved to adopt, Fubara, who hails from the Rivers South-East Senatorial district, noting that its the only district that has not produced governor.
“In the past few days, the party in the state was hit by a major shock of an unknown person surfacing and claiming to be our Gubernatorial Candidate, coupled with the news making rounds on social media that our Gubernatorial candidate Comrade Mrs Beatrice Itubo has stepped down and adopted the APC candidate,” the statement read in part
“In order for us not to remain in the dark, the party in line with the 23 LGA’s chairmen has decided to support a credible candidate irrespective of the party
filiation, a candidate who must be young and vibrant and must hail from the senatorial district that haven’t produced a governor before in the state.
“All through the history of this great and outstanding State, the Rivers West district has produced the Governor once in person of Sir. (Dr.) Peter Odill. The
Rivers East District has produced the Governor thrice, while the district of Rivers South East has never had this opportunity, thereby flouting and negating the values of Equity, Fairness, Justice, and Balance. Values that are
“As Labour Party Members, and as Obidient adherents to the aforementioned values, we must come out and support a region that has never in the history of
the state produced a Governor.both foundational and intrinsic to the Labour Party.
“Voting a Riverine candidate in the person of ‘Sir. Siminialayi Joseph Fubara from the South East Senatorial district of the State during the upcoming
Gubernatorial polls, ensures that The Labour Party and her members are defenders and ambassadors of the values that have set her and the Obidient Movement apart from all other parties.”
They, however, asked “Obidient” in Rivers to vote for the LP State Assembly candidates in the elections adding that the decision to adopt Fubara is fundamental and intrinsic to the stability, progress and growth of Rivers State and by intractable extension- Nigeria.
“We urge all Labour Party members, supporters and our Obideint team to come out in their numbers on Saturday 11th March 2023 to vote Sir. Siminialayi Joseph Fubara from the South East senatorial District of Rivers State for Governor, and vote all other Labour Party Candidates for State House of Assembly in their
various constituencies.
“The Labour Party therefore, urges all Obidients and Party faithful, to come out en-masse to vote without fear for a candidate of Riverine extraction from the Rivers South East Zone, in an exercise that will be reflective of freedom, equity, justice, fairness and balance.”