By Donu Kogbara

THE gubernatorial race in my home state, Rivers, is being run at fever pitch. The current Governor, Nyesom Wike, is hellbent on installing his successor and has thrown his weight behind a long-standing loyalist – his accountant-general, Sim Fubara.

Sim is vying with candidates from other parties for the hottest seat in Port Harcourt; and he stands a good chance of trouncing his rivals, not because he is smart or popular, but because he has access to the enormous advantages enjoyed by proteges of incumbents. Sim is a very lucky guy because his powerful mentor is investing enormous amounts of cash and clout in this contest on his behalf.

Wike’s critics claim that many Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, staff and security personnel (who should be doggedly neutral) have been induced to stand by Sim at all costs. Even if this allegation is unfair, it is no secret that local government chairmen have been instructed to ensure Sim’s victory…and that legions of foot soldiers have been deployed to aggressively assist Sim in every nook and cranny of the state.

But here’s the thing: I personally think that every other well-known guber flagbearer in Rivers State – Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party, Labour’s Beatrice Itubo, Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress, Dawari George of the Action Alliance and Dumo Lulu Briggs of Accord – is better than Sim on several levels.

Long story short: It really bothers me that Sim may pip candidates I regard as infinitely superior to the post. And I’m urging my Rivers brethren in general and Ogonis in particular to regard Magnus Abe as the best alternative to Sim, partly because Abe is highly accomplished and will add a lot of value to the state if elected…and partly because he comes from an oppressed ethnic group that deserves equal opportunities.

Magnus and I are Ogonis…who have been treated appallingly within this context. And those who have heartlessly held us back since Rivers State was founded 56 years ago cannot even fall back on the excuse that we are a minority that lacks numerical significance. Nor can they describe us as educationally challenged or lazy…or as a people who lack exposure and public/private-sector experience. 

We are actually more in number than other ethnic groups within our state. Meanwhile, some of the most industrious, intellectual, polished, entrepreneurial and technocratically talented Nigerians I have ever met happen to be Ogoni. I can proudly say that my late father, for example, was an erudite, sophisticated citizen of the world who was admired by many foreigners as well as compatriots. And yet, no Ogoni person has ever been governor, deputy governor, chief judge or speaker of the state house of assembly. And our exclusion from the corridors of power is unjust and insulting.

To be honest, we are partly to blame for our political misfortunes. We allowed differences of opinion that could have been resolved to escalate into a crisis that led to the murders of four Ogoni VIPs, the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the deaths of many other kinsmen. This avoidable tragedy eliminated so many leaders and decapitated Ogoniland. And we continue to suicidally injure ourselves.

Whenever it makes sense to pull together and stand tall, holding hands, we descend into toxic individualism and give outsiders like Wike and Amaechi (his predecessor) permission to divide and rule us. We allow ourselves to be used during elections. We are always the bridesmaid but never the bride! We would rather sabotage each other than uplift each other. We severely punish each other for human frailties and errors that we tolerate in non-Ogonis.

We settle for short-term solo benefits instead of deferring gratification and focusing on a bigger collective picture that will empower our children and give them dignity and brighter futures. We accept crumbs when we can have a large slice of the cake if we play our cards right. Bluntly put, we behave like servants who have inferiority complexes and don’t believe that we can ever be masters. 

Legborsi Pyagbara, the former President of MOSOP (Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People), shares some of my views and has this to say about the reluctance of some Ogonis to support Magnus Abe:

Excerpts from Pyagbara’s Open Letter to Ogoni People.

My dear brothers and sisters,

We are at a critical juncture in our inexorable march to freedom. You may forgive me if I am somewhat emotional about what I am going to write to you in this missive, I am an unrepentant Ogoni man. From remembered times, Ogoni was never defeated in any war by any ethnic group. Even the colonial invasion of the British could not penetrate Ogoni easily because our gallant forefathers fought them with ravenous ferocity until the great Battle of Deeyor in 1914 which made Ogoni one of the last frontiers to fall to the fledging hammer of British militarism and adventurism in Nigeria.  

My brothers and sisters, I want you to know that we have always risen from the ashes of humiliation, stronger and victorious. We have never given up and we have never given in. We are treated with disdain by those who feign to love us. They want to KILL us politically. And this, they would like to do with some Ogoni collaborators who prefer to remain with our slave masters than joining the cause for liberty. This 2023 election is supposed to rouse Ogoni people to a common sense of purpose. 2023 should be the year of the Ogoni people. If we miss it this time, we will [because of zoning protocols] miss it for the next 24 years.  

My fellow Ogonis, let us come together and demonstrate that we can work together, rebuild together, reach out to our friends together and relaunch Ogoni together by voting an Ogoni candidate. The Igbos just demonstrated it on February 25th when they voted massively for their son, HE. Mr. Peter Obi. Beyond the fact that he was one of the best candidates in terms of character and competence, the Igbos demonstrated their love for their own.

We can re-enact the same in the Governorship Election in Rivers State by voting massively for our own. My dear brothers and sisters, where do you stand in this unfolding Ogoni drama? Can you be counted on the side of Ogoni? Can you rise above partisan politics and put Ogoni first? Today, we have our eminent sons in the race, all of them with character, competence, capacity and compassion. However, one stands out amongst the lot. And that is Senator Magnus Ngei Abe. 

Political injustice is morally wrong. Need I say more? This is our time. Let us come out and vote massively for our own. Let us vote for Senator Magnus Ngei Abe.