10 APC Chieftains Declare Intention to Run for Governorship in Rivers
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Ten chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State have declared intention to run for the governorship position in the state in 2023.
In a joint press briefing held yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, the aspirants declared to harmoniously support who finally emerged the party standard bearer for the governorship election.
The meeting was convened by George Tolofari, a former state commissioner of Transportation during Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi government, who is currently a presidential aspirant.
The aspirants, who are all natives of the riverine dichotomy and assembled under the ‘The Progressives Aspirants Forum’, include Dr. Sokoto Davies, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Dr. Dawari George, Tonye Cole, Prince Tonye Princewill, Biokpomabo Awara, and Francis Ebenezer.
Others are Mina Tende, Ojukaye Flag Amachree, and Michael West.
Tolofari in a communique at the briefing stated that the decision was a fallout of series of consultations and interaction among the APC aspirants for the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state.
The aspirants commend the leadership of the party on a peaceful and successful national convention, and affirmed their unalloyed loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for the courage to declare his interest to run for the office of the president in the 2023 elections.
Some of the decisions reached by the aspirants include: “The progressives aspirants agreed to work in unity, and support whoever emerges at the party primaries either by way of consensus of election as exemplified by the party leadership at the just concluded national convention.
“Aspirants called on the party leadership to ensure a level playing field for all aspirants during the primaries to give everyone a sense of belonging, fairness and equity.
“As a way of respecting the party supremacy, the aspirants resolved that any candidate that emerges, all aspirants will put self and ego aside and collapse their various campaign structures into the party structure to support the standard bearer to win the 2024 elections for APC in Rivers State.
“The aspirants agreed to consult other stakeholders, elders statesmen, opinion leaders and key politicians in the state to support power rotation to the riverine-Ijaw in 2023 as a way of ensuring equity, justice and fairness in the distribution of political offices.”
The forum commended the state leadership of APC led by Emeka Beke, for keeping the party in the state together.
The aspirants, however, called on members of the party in the state to seek reconciliation, forgiveness, close ranks and work with the leadership of the party to ensure they win the governorship seat and other legislative offices both in the state and national level in 2023.
