2027: Host communities urge parties to zone Rivers governorship to Ogoni

2026-03-18 - 14:03

...Say incentives needed for oil restart By Daniel Abia, Port Harcourt Community Development Committees (CDC) of oil and gas producing areas in the Niger Delta have called on political parties in Rivers State to cede their 2027 governorship tickets to candidates of Ogoni extraction. The group said such a move would serve as a political remedy to decades of environmental degradation and hardship suffered by the Ogoni people due to oil exploration activities. In a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Chairman of the CDC Board of Trustees, Joseph Ambakaderimo, said engagements with Ogoni stakeholders and the leadership of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) underscored the need for compensation through political inclusion. According to him, the environmental and socio-economic challenges in Ogoni land mirror those experienced across the Niger Delta, but noted that the Ogoni issue remains unresolved despite efforts by successive governments. He said while the region currently enjoys relative peace due to sustained government policies, “the Ogoni land and its people have yet to find peace,” adding that the crisis has lingered for too long without a lasting solution. Ambakaderimo expressed optimism that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could make a difference in resolving the crisis, though he alleged that misinformation and vested interests have hindered progress. He called for broader inclusion of stakeholders across the Niger Delta in addressing the Ogoni issue, stressing that the matter should not be left to the Ogoni people alone. “All Niger Deltans share similar environmental and economic challenges. Therefore, resolving the Ogoni question requires collective input from across the region,” he said. The CDC chairman urged political parties to field credible candidates of Ogoni origin for the 2027 governorship election, describing it as part of a broader incentive package needed to restore peace and trust. He also called on the President to visit Ogoni land and engage directly with political leaders, traditional institutions, women, and youth groups under MOSOP. Ambakaderimo further noted that discussions around resuming oil exploration in Ogoni have focused largely on extraction, with little attention to incentives for the people. “The first step should be to provide incentives to the Ogoni people. The political solution we have proposed is one of such incentives,” he said. He added that resolving the crisis would unlock economic benefits for both Rivers State and the country, noting that oil and gas resources in Ogoni remain untapped. “We appeal to the Federal Government to prioritise the welfare of the Ogoni people and give them a new lease of life,” he said.