President of the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers (SCOTR), King Godwin Gininwa, has appealed to the people of Rivers State as well as political parties to support candidates from the Ogoni ethnic nationality to succeed Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike in 2023.
Gininwa made the appeal at the weekend at his palace in Korokoro-Tai in Tai local government area of the state, when a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, paid him a visit.
The first-class traditional ruler, who noted that the Ogonis have supported other ethnic nationalities in the past to be governors, said the area was blessed with capable hands to lead the state.
He said, “I want to make an appeal that Rivers people should change their minds, we are part and parcel of this state. Ogoni people should be considered for governor this time. We have those that are qualified in our land to govern this state.”
Earlier in his speech, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, said he was at the palace to appreciate King Gininwa and the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers for the title of Mene Suanu 1 of Ogoniland bestowed on him.
Abe, who stated that he has not declared for the governorship position of the state, said the quest for an Ogoni governor is not about himself but for political inclusion of the people of the area.
He said, “When people talk about me and governorship, I want to use this opportunity to say clearly for everybody to hear that it’s not about Senator Abe being governor, it’s not about an Ogoni man being governor.
“It’s important that the Ogoni people for the purposes of inclusion should have a sense of wellbeing in the fact that having been part of a state for almost sixty years, you too should be able to say that you were included in an inclusive system of government.”
