A college of 12 ward chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State have called on the Chairman of the LGA, Dame Anengi Claude-Wilcox to run for the 2024 local government elections in the State.

Leader of the PDP Ward Chairmen Forum in Bonny LGA, Brown Ada-Allison, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 during a solidarity visit to the LG Chairman at the Government Lodge in Bonny, assured her of their support during the polls.

Allison, who is also Chairman of PDP Ward 2, Bonny LGA, stated that the ward chairmen etched their unanimous decision on her sterling performance since assuming office as the Bonny LGA helmswoman, thus making the call for her to contest imperative.

Noting that an assessment of her administration’s achievements in just a short while qualifies her to run for the office, the chairmen also took turns to eulogize her transformative leadership style and, thereafter, unanimously passed a vote of confidence on her.

They expressed the hope that her being on the saddle as Bonny LG chief executive for the next three years, is a surefire guarantee for unbundling greater developmental deliverables, calling on her to throw her hat into the ring and contest the next local government elections.

Responding, the Bonny LG Council boss thanked the ward chairmen for their support, whilst commending them for their efforts in ensuring that the PDP won all elective seats in the last general elections.  

She assured them that she would give some thought to their advice and make the right call in the interest of the party, pointing out that it was imperative for the party to field its best candidate for the 2024 local council polls in order to sustain its trajectory of good governance.

There has been the muted but growing clamour for Anengi Claude-Wilcox to vie for the next local government elections given her acclaimed performance within the short interregnum in the saddle as chairman.

Her supporters point to the various projects she has emplaced during her few days in office which they listed as full activation of projects completed but yet to be unveiled by her predecessors. These, according to them, include the Bonny Ultra-Modern Motorpark, completion of the remodeling of the Bonny Main Market and relocation of the traders there, and completion of the local government staff quarters.

According to them, she also started and completed the Bishop Gabriel Pepple Road, the Abraham-Hart Community Bridge, clearing and reorganizing of the Coal Beach waterfront, construction of the local government store, and ongoing rebuilding of the guest houses at the Government Lodge.

They continued with desilting of drainages around Bonny Main Town, ongoing construction of the Amariari Bridge, provision of school buses for school children, ongoing construction of an administrative building for the BIRC and reorganizing and streamlining of its operations, and rehabilitation of the Moore Jackson Street, among others.

This endorsement of Dame Anengi Claude-Wilcox by the PDP ward chairmen may well have set the ball rolling on activities relating to the 2024 local government polls.