ADC vs APC in Rivers: Diaspora group says Pidomson will not beg any man for guber ticket, Ogoni not violent
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The political rivalry between Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to have cascaded to the state levels especially to Rivers State.
Gabriel Pidomson, the Rivers State ADC guber candidate, is seen to be at daggers drawn with Wike’s Rainbow Coalition which has Kingsley Chinda as its guber candidate.
Now a Diaspora group backing Pidomson for the ADC has fired back at the Coalition, saying they did not need the backing of the self-acclaimed godfather of Rivers politics to contest for governor.
The group also rejected the toga of violence being hanged on the Ogoni, Pidomson’s ethnic group.
The ‘Dr. Gabriel Pidomson Diaspora Support Group’ said in a statement that it has vehemently condemned statements credited to one Chibuike Ikenga, speaking for ‘the so-called Rainbow Coalition’, in which he labeled Pidomson—a widely accepted, Rivers-first leader—as a “guru in violence”. The statement had dismissed the ADC bearer as a “featherweight.”
The Group says it views this as a reckless and defamatory assault on Pidomson’s character as a thinly veiled attempt to imply that the Ogoni people themselves were violent, saying this was standardizing a dangerous narrative against the entire ethnic group for political convenience.
The statement signed by Cornelius JS Dumerene (Chairman), and Ledum Nordee (Director of Communications), said: “Our attention has been drawn to the derogatory remarks made by Chibuike Ikenga on Channels TV, representing the self-serving Rainbow Coalition. By labeling Pidomson—a true son of Rivers State whose focus is entirely on the welfare of the everyday Rivers person, rather than a tiny clique of politically connected loyalists—as a ‘guru in violence,’ they have resorted to outright defamation.
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“This reckless comment heavily implies that Ogonis are inherently violent, and we see it as a desperate attempt to defame a highly qualified candidate from Ogoni simply because he has the audacity to refuse to beg Wike for permission to contest, and refuses to sustain the ‘business as usual’ political machinery that has robbed Rivers State of its growth potential.”
The group declared these comments a deliberate and malicious attempt to blackmail, intimidate, and malign the entire Ogoni nation to serve a narrow political agenda.
The group said Ikenga’s comments claiming that while respected Ogoni sons like Deeyaa, Kobani and Deekor were qualified to govern, that their time has not come yet begs the fundamental question of who determines when that time is. “The Ogoni people will no longer allow outside political gods to dictate the clock of our destiny.
“The Ogoni people will not be intimidated. We will defend our votes, our state, and our dignity. Everyone in Rivers State knows that this frivolous ‘Rainbow Coalition’ is a deceptive front. It is a mere gathering of Nyesom Wike’s political friends from both the PDP and APC, masquerading as representatives of the Rivers people whereas they only represent transactional politics”.
The group alleged that Wike is the primary architect of the political chaos currently destabilizing Rivers State.
“Let us not forget the facts. Nyesom Wike himself confessed that when he handpicked Governor Sim Fubara, he pleaded extensively with the Ogoni people to support him. Yet, out of an insatiable thirst for absolute political control, Wike turned around to destabilize the entire state the moment he had a disagreement with the Governor. Because of one man’s ego and personal vendetta, Rivers State historically became the very first instance in Nigerian history where a sitting governor was suspended and replaced with a sole administrator purely because of a political disagreement.
“Unlike past national security emergencies elsewhere, this was a crisis manufactured entirely to feed an individual’s obsession with power.”
The group said after governing for eight years, Wike installed Fubara, only to aggressively force him into a single term by mandating that he rescind any intention for a second term, entirely disrupting the proper administration of the state. “Now, he wants to bypass other ethnic groups by using this Rainbow Coalition to prop up an aggressively imposed, handpicked candidate from Obio/Akpor whom he has single-handedly selected to take over from Sim,” the group noted.
The statement emphasized that while other ethnic groups might choose to surrender their political autonomy and right to choose who governed them, the Ogonis cannot be fooled again.
“We are completely aware of these plots to force an aggressively imposed, handpicked candidate on Rivers State through manipulation and threats. Let it be clear: Dr. Gabriel Pidomson stands as a champion for all Rivers people, not just the elite. The Ogoni people will not be cowed, nor will we be politically colonized by Wike or his agents. Self-defense is a legitimate right, and we will choose our own representatives,” it stated.
The Diaspora group stressed that no single individual or enclave holds a monopoly on power in Rivers State.
“No outsider will dictate to the Ogonis who is qualified to govern Rivers State. We own our narrative. Ogoni is a cornerstone of Rivers State and has contributed immeasurably to the wealth and development of this region.
“We will firmly resist any attempt by Wike and his coalition of convenience to subvert the will of the people. The Ogoni people are peaceful, but we are not cowards,” the statement added.
The group called on security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and all democratic stakeholders to ensure a free, fair, and violence-free electoral process in Rivers State, warning against the dangerous profiling of ethnic groups for selfish political gains.
The race is a three-horse affair of the APC, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) led in the state by Dumo Lulu-Briggs.