Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has begun the process of fulfilling his promise of enthroning a riverine governor in the State come 2023 with the emergence of his preferred candidate, Siminialayi Fubara as the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the March 11, 2023 governorship election.

Fubara, who is the Accountant General of the State, hails from Opobo Town in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of the State, and the Ibani extract (comprising Opobo and Bonny) of the Ijaw ethnic nationality.

Wike had promised his party stakeholders, especially those form the riverine axis of the State, in the run-up to the 2019 elections that he will hand over in 2023 to someone from the riverine area. It appears that with the outcome of today’s PDP gubernatorial primaries, he has moved a notch further in fulfilling that promise.  

Siminialayi Fubara scored 721 votes to emerge as the PDP governorship candidate ahead of his three closest rivals, Isaac Kamaku, Dakorinama George Kelly, and Tammy Danagogo, who came a distant second and third with 86, 37 and 36 votes, respectively.

According to the Election Committee Chairman, Professor Walter Mboto, a total of 898 votes were cast, while eight votes were voided at the primaries, which held at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, where party delegates from the 23 local government areas of the State cast their votes to decides who flies the party’s flag come March 11, 2023.

Among the aspirants were former Deputy Governor, Tele Ikuru, former State Chairman of PDP, Felix Obuah, former Minister of Transport, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, Gabriel Pidomson, Farah Dagogo, Boma Iyaye, and Senator Lee Maeba, among others.

Kristina Reports learnt that 16 aspirants contested for the party’s ticket after series of stakeholders’ meetings and consultations led by Wike failed to produce the latter’s successor.

With this development, there is heightened pressure on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to also field a riverine candidate for the 2023 guber polls or lose massively to the PDP come March 11, 2023.