The short tenure of Rufus Ada-George as governor of Rivers State
was a political springboard for four young men. Although Mr Ada-George, who was
governor from 1992 – 1993, is no longer a heavyweight when it comes to politics
in the state, the others are still in the play. Peter Odili, who was the deputy
governor; Celestine Omehia, who was Commissioner for Education; Abiye Sekibo
and Rotimi Amaechi played the roles of special assistants to Messrs Ada-George
and Odili respectively.
With the return to civil rule in 1999, Mr Odili served as
governor for eight years – till 2007. Mr Sekibo was Secretary to the State
Government from 1999 to 2003 and Minister of Transport from 2003 to 2006. Mr
Amaechi went to the state House of Assembly, where he served as speaker till
2007; while Mr Omehia played a more low-key role as special adviser to Mr
Odili.
As Mr Odili’s tenure drew to a close, so also did their time of
journeying together, no thanks to conflicting political interests among the
four men, who were leaders of the People’s Democratic Party in the state.
Things fall apart
Mr Ameachi won the primaries to be the party’s flag bearer for
the 2007 elections, but Mr Odili reportedly orchestrated a move that ended with
him being replaced by Mr Omehia. Mr Ameachi went to court and, about five
months after Mr Omehia had been sworn in as governor, the Supreme Court ruled
that Mr Amaechi was the legitimate candidate of the PDP and therefore should be
the governor.
The move created enmity between Messrs Omehia and Ameachi, who
are cousins. It has worsened over time and sucked in Mr Sekibo who, like Mr
Omehia, remained loyal to Mr Odili in the fight against Mr Amaechi.
Three years after, Mr Odili, like Mr Ada-George before him, no
longer wields great political influence in the state. But the activities of the
other three could make or break the relative peace which has returned to the
state after years of militancy and violence. This is because all three are in
the race for Tuesday’s governorship election for the state. And so far, the
campaign has been marred by accusations and counter accusations, with
propaganda seemingly the main weapon now.
Mr Amaechi, 45, is the incumbent governor and the PDP candidate.
He is from Ubima in Ikwerre Local Government Area and his running mate is Tele
Ikuru, who is currently the deputy governor. Mr Sekibo, 53, is governorship
candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria. He is from Okrika and his running
mate is Serekara Barieeda Wifa. Mr Omehia is contesting under the platform of
the All Progressive Grand Alliance. He is also from Ubima and his running mate
is Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, a serving lawmaker.
The odds
Analysing the governorship race, Ukoha Ukiwo, a senior political
science lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, said the odds favour Mr
Amaechi and the PDP. This, he said, is partly because of “the structure of the
state; the nature of our political economy; everybody that is somebody leans
and gives support to the incumbent”.
He also said Mr Amaechi has become popular over the years
because of his activities as governor. “He [Mr Amaechi] is deemed to have
performed creditably well in different sectors – education, infrastructure,
health,” he said.
Many residents feel this way. Some point to the roads he has
constructed in the past three years; others talk about health care. He is also
credited with restoring peace to the state by his single-minded crackdown on
violent gangs.
Joy Mathias, a cabbie, is pleased by the new schools that dot
Port Harcourt and other parts of the state. “He deserves to continue,” she
said. “No other governor has done the things he has done.”
Not everybody agrees with Ms Mathias. Some young people, such as
Sylvester Emizibo prefer Mr Omehia. “[Mr] Amaechi does things autocratically,”
he said. “He does not consult or listen to people before taking action.”
This sentiment is quite strong among unemployed people in the
state, some of who have been affected by the ban of commercial motorcyclists
and Mr Amaechi’s plan to demolish all illegal structures in the state. A
cabbie, who gave his name as Goodluck, said while Mr Amaechi has score good
grades when it comes to healthcare and education, the bulk of his project is
like “putting a man in a very beautiful house with no food”.
To this set of people, Mr Omehia “is a gentleman”; someone that
will listen to them and who has a soft heart.
In terms of charisma and personality, the two candidates stand
apart from Mr Sekibo. Mrs Mathias thinks “he is the worst” of the lot. While
Goodluck, the driver, feels he has not done much for the people.
“He was a minister of transport, what did he do?” he asked.
Away from their personalities, Mr Ukiwo feels the contest is
between the PDP and the ACN. This view is hard to argue as the ACN has posed
the greater challenge to the PDP in previous elections; APGA did not even get
to field candidates in some federal constituencies in the state. But the ACN
challenge has been a weak one, as the PDP won the three senatorial seats and
all 12 federal constituency elections held in the state. It also recorded landslide
victory in the presidential elections. As it stand, only a merger between
Messrs Sekibo and Omehia can give the opposition any real chance against Mr
Amaechi. Even that might prove ineffective.
