Ambassador Blessing Fubara Junior has declared his intention to contest the governorship of Rivers State, pledging to restore the state’s economic prosperity and political stability if elected.
Speaking during the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, party primary elections across Nigeria, Fubara said he was offering himself as a “ready, competent, and energetic” candidate to “restore the soul of Nigeria and restore the soul of Rivers State.”
Fubara cited what he described as the impoverishment of Rivers people and the loss of investment, dignity, and opportunities in the state. He called for a “total uprising” across party lines, ethnic groups, and political affiliations to “take over our state and return our dear Rivers State to the zenith of the state as it was known, as the treasure base of the nation.”
The aspirant contrasted the state’s past reputation for economic prosperity with what he called its current distressed condition. “Today, we see a Rivers State that is distressed. Today, we see a Rivers State that is shortchanged. Today, we see a Rivers State that is almost seeming like a conquered state. No. We are not a conquered people,” he said.
Fubara appealed to his supporters across the state’s 23 local government areas, urging them to turn out en masse at polling units and wards during the primaries to “reclaim the soul of our dear Rivers State.” He claimed to have “two million fans” across the state who are card-carrying members of the NDC.
He also pledged to serve a single four-year term to complete the eight-year tenure expected for Rivers Southeast Senatorial District under the state’s political rotation arrangement. After his tenure, he said, he would support a candidate from the next senatorial district.
“It is of pertinent reasoning for us to understand that it will set a very wrong and dangerous precedent if we alter the senatorial rotation of our leadership and governance in the state,” Fubara stated.
The aspirant said he would be the candidate “across party lines” capable of restoring peace and merging experience with competence to drive growth in Rivers State. He called on political stakeholders to support what he described as “the uprising of the people” to restore a prosperous and progressive state.
The NDC primaries are ongoing nationwide ahead of the next round of state elections.
