Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi Has Always Been Right On The Issue Of Zoning By Marshall Israel

Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi Has Always Been Right On The Issue Of Zoning

By
Marshall Israel

Barr. Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State is in the twilight of his second term in office and the
jostling for who succeeds him has begun in earnest.
The jostling may not necessary be about whom the successor would be, even though some aspirations, despite not openly declared are more than obvious, but more-so, the battle at this time is about where in the geo-polity the successor would come from.

Several permutations ranging from the absurd to the macabre are being postulated by different interests in justification of primacy of succession, but herein only two are worthy of discourse, being, the issues of Upland/Riverine Dichotomy and the Senatorial rotation of the office of the Governor of the State.

Old Rivers State was created on the 27th of May 1967 from the then Eastern Region and further balkanized into Bayelsa and the present day Rivers State in 1996. Made up predominantly of Riverine Ijaws (Kalabari’s, Okrikans, Ibani’s, Andoni’s, etc) and the Upland (Ikwerre’s, Ogoni’s, Ekpeye, Etche, Oyigbo, Ogba’s etc).

From inception, harmony, brotherhood and cooperation has been sustained through the efficacy and conscientious application and observation of the Upland/Riverine dichotomy principle in the allocation of socio-political and economic gains accruing to the State, as a balancing ideology to promote unity and discourage discord.

This trend of political engineering was handed down to us by the founding fathers of the State and which has been sustained as a vehicle for equitable distribution over time by all well meaning leaders.

Since every senatorial zone in the State is fortuitously made up of both components, the sanctity of the principle cannot be violated by the dictates of senatorial rotation, which at best is an adjunct to the ingenuity of the Upland/Riverine dichotomy principle.

In 1999, when the West Senatorial zone was to produce the Governor, the Kalabari, though one of the largest homogenous ethnic groups in the zone conceded the position to the Upland (Dr. Peter Odili) for the sake of equity and fairness, considering that the last occupant of Brick House, Chief Ada George is Riverine, and this was inspite of the fact that his tenure lasted less than 2 years.

The Rivers East Senatorial zone in 2007 also produced Upland Governors (Sir Celestine Omehia and the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi both Ikwerre’s, presumably premised on the fact that hitherto the Riverine had produced back-to-back Governors.

By the end of AMAECHI'S tenure in 2015, the upland would have been Governor for 16 solid years. Everybody expected that Power would shift to the Riverine Ijaw axis of the State. To show his commitment to Power rotation, Amaechi and the leadership the All Progressives Congress zoned Governorship Ticket to the Riverine and Dr. Dakuku Peterside from Opobo emerged as flag bearer. But this hallowed and sacred gentleman agreement was truncated by the Victory Of Barr Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike of the People’s Democratic Party.

Again, In 2018, Amaechi and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress zoned the Governorship Ticket to the Riverine and Architect Tonye Cole emerged as Governorship Flag bearer.

Shortly after the Primaries, The All Progressives was enmeshed in internal crisis. The court subsequently disqualified and excluded the APC and her candidates including Architect Tonye Cole from contesting the 2019 Governorship Election.

The PDP again retained Governor Nyesom Wike as her Governorship candidate. The absence of the APC on the ballot gave the PDP a free ride. The adoption of Engineer Biokpomabo Awara of AAC by the APC couldn't help the situation thus breaking once again this ancient gentleman agreement.

By the end of Governor Wike's tenure in 2023, the upland would have been Governor for an uninterrupted 24 years.

Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, amongst others has unwavering commitment to ensuring that the egalitarian principles of justice and common-humanity are upheld to the greater glory of unity, amity and equity.

Therefore, I dare say without apology, that only an uninformed and unreasonable person, impervious to the peaceful co-existence and co-habitation of the peoples of the State, who is pandering to selfishness and inordinate ambition can dispute the overarching imperative of a Riverine Governor for Rivers State come 2023?

It would be inappropriate villify Amaechi by stoking the fires of discord and whip up sentiments based on his Stand on Power Rotation in Rivers State.

Let no one be deluded that any single ethnic nation can install itself Governor of Rivers State without the cooperation and collaboration of the other ethnic groupings.

To preserve, promote and protect our collective destiny, and the future of our posterity and heritage, I  implore and encourage our compatriots of Upland extraction, who though eminently qualified to acknowledge that the vicissitudes of current political fortunes weighs precariously against their aspiration, if amity is to be preserved. This is an esteemed sacrifice that must be made to the greater glory of our tomorrow as Rivers people with one destiny under God.

It therefore behoves on the Riverine Ijaw axis of Rivers State to come out from the cocoon of Political affiliation and form a common front to actualize this DREAM.

Marshall Israel.

26th, April 2021.