Re: 2023: Why PDP Can Not Zone Presidency To The South–Farah Dagogo

_The Opinion Of A Loner_

The attention of the Degema Local Government Council has been drawn to an interview, published on pages 27-28 of The Nation's Newspaper of Saturday, March 19, 2022, wherein the member representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Farah Dagogo, amongst other things, opposed the Southern region's agitation for power shift as well as disclosed his governorship ambition in 2023.

Ordinarily, one would have ignored the said interview from a man, best described as a 'loner,' and treated it with the levity it deserved.

However, the Council Authority is forced to react to the unbecoming behaviour of one of its misguided sons, who rather than focus on his present job of lawmaking at the National Assembly, has shirked his primary responsibility to pursue his selfish ambition, even at the detriment of his South South region, whose interest should have been his principal interest.

Hon. Farah Dagogo in the said interview, threw caution to the wind and brazenly opposed the popular clamour of Nigerians, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), that the office of the Presidency be zoned to the Southern part of the Country.

He asserted that only one man from the North; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, whom he described both as a Moses and a Messiah, had the magic wand to wrestle power from the APC.

This view is strictly personal to Hon. Farah Dagogo and therefore can not be seen to be the general view of members of the PDP and Nigerians at large.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, like any other party man, is eminently qualified to run for that exalted office, it is however premature, at this point in time, to canvass that opinion, or try to arm-twist the party to make that choice.

Even Governor Nyesom Wike, who had been inundated with calls by Nigerians to run for the presidency, due to his superlative performance, is yet to respond to that clarion call, which we earnestly pray he yields, because he had demonstrated uncommon courage and capacity to pull Nigeria out of the precipice, the APC-led Government had plunged it to.

However, the PDP is yet to zone the presidency to any part of the Country. And whatever decision the party decides to take in that regard, would remain an internal party affair, and should not bother non-party members and interlopers like Hon. Farah Dagogo, who had long ditched the party and had clearly stayed away from all affairs of the party for some years now.

It is curious that Hon. Farah Dagogo, who had completely distanced himself from all activities of the PDP since 2020, including the recent PDP National Convention, party/stakeholders meetings etal, suddenly comes out of the blue to play the devil's advocate.

Again, Hon. Farah Dagogo made a faux pas, when he inferred that the governorship of Rivers State has remained an Ikwerre affair. In fairness to the people of the Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality, elections in Rivers State had never been on the basis of zoning.

Aspirants from the various ethnic groups in the State had always jostled for the office of the governor, and the best man at the end of the day had always emerged.

For instance, in 1999, Dr. Peter Odili's main challenger was a Kalabari son, Chief Ebenezer Isokariari of the All Peoples Party (APP). In 2003, during Odili's reelection, he was also challenged by other people like Ohna Sergeant Awuse of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs.

In 2007, the late Senator Dr. I. S. Martyns-Yellowe came second in the PDP primary that brought in Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi as Candidate of the PDP and subsequent governor, after the famous Supreme Court ruling. The PDP in that election with Sir Celestine Omehia as its candidate was later challenged at the general elections by Prince Tonye Princewill of the Action Congress (AC) and others.

Again, in 2011, Amaechi's main challenger, amongst others, was Sir Celestine Omehia of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

In 2015, PDP aspirants alone were over 24, which later reduced to about 6 that participated in the primary election, wherein the current governor emerged as candidate and was again fiercely challenged by the candidate of the APC, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.

Finally, in 2019, candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Mr. Biokpomabo Awara; the adopted candidate of the APC also contested against Gov. Wike.

Only Hon. Farah Dagogo knows what he meant by "there is still a dark storm circling over Rivers State hatched by men who consider our state as their personal estate."

The Ikwerres, despite having the highest number of votes in the State, have never schemed to establish a fiefdom or hegemony, as inferred.

Aren't they as much as qualified like any other ethnic group in the State?
Why the fuss, acrimony and incitement against the Ikwerre people?

Rivers State is a cosmopolitan state and has long gone past the era of ethic politics.

What we need today is not an Ijaw, Ikwerre or Ogoni governor, but a governor of Rivers State that would carry every interest in the state along, just like Governor Nyesom Wike has done and is still doing.

Today, there is no local government area in Rivers State that you visit that you will not find various projects executed by Governor Wike administration.

It therefore smacks of hypocrisy and grandstanding, for Hon. Farah Dagogo, who for his inordinate ambition, scuttled the Turn-By-Turn gentleman agreement between Degema and Bonny, and usurped the latter of their second term opportunity in the House of Representatives, to now turn around and preach power rotation in the governorship of Rivers State.

Hon. Farah Dagogo's insatiable greed and ingratitude against Governor Nyesom Wike; his benefactor, who also in 2019 helped him to clinch the House of Representatives ticket, he currently occupies, clearly shows his level of ungratefulness and that has remained his albatross.

GOVERNOR WIKE'S CRIME AGAINST FARAH DAGOGO

Hon. Farah Dagogo's insatiable greed for power, led to his fallout with his erstwhile benefactor, whom he had spared no efforts to vilify.

It is public knowledge that Governor Wike's love for Hon. Farah Dagogo made the governor to give him the rare privilege of nominating a Commissioner, who is still serving in the State Executive Council since 2015.

Hon. Farah Dagogo, like Oliver Twist, still went ahead to demand the Chairmanship position of Degema LGA from the governor, where he had hoped to control the politics as well as the resources of the LGA through his stooges.

However, the governor this time around, turned down his request, with the explanation that Hon. Farah Dagogo was not the only politician in the LGA to take everything he so wanted.

But due to his love for him, Gov. Wike still went ahead to appoint Hon. Farah Dagogo's preferred Chairmanship candidate, in the said 2018 local government elections, as a Commissioner in the State Civil Service Commission. What more would the governor do for Hon. Farah Dagogo for him to show gratitude?

Today, apart from his bogus claims of sponsoring several bills at the same time at the National Assembly, none of which had been passed into law for the benefit of his constituents and Rivers State, Hon. Farah Dagogo's performance has been abysmal, with huge gap created between himself and his constituents, which is unprecedented in the Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency.

Governor Wike had maintained that the forthcoming governorship of Rivers State would not be zoned or given by sentiment to anyone, but would be based on the capacity and credibility of the person, as well as his acceptability by Rivers people.

Again, the governor restated his stance on the governorship of the State, during his Civic Reception, held in his honour by the Kalabari people to appreciate him for his goodwill towards them, in February 5, 2022, at Abalama, wherein he further advised the Kalabari people to unite and put their house in order, for them to achieve whatever ambition they had as a united people.

But of course, like the plethora of many State and party functions, Hon. Farah Dagogo was conspicuously absent at that historic Abalama occasion, and so missed the opportunity to hear first-hand from the governor and equally seize the opportunity to interact with his constituents at the occasion.

Now, if it is not a case of delusion, how could a man, who had long abandoned and betrayed his party, suddenly wake up and boast that he was the potential candidate of the PDP in Rivers State in 2023? If other party members behaved in the manner that he did, would PDP still be alive today?

What structure is he banking on within the party to actualize his ambition, if not hoping to hijack the party with the help of some highly placed individuals?

If Hon. Farah Dagogo desires to run for the office of the Governor of Rivers State, which is within his inalienable rights, he should boldly present himself to Rivers people, without going about casting aspersions on Gov. Wike, whom God singlehandedly used to bring him to the political limelight for two consecutive times, between 2015 and 2019, as a member of the State House of Assembly and currently as a member of the House of Representatives respectively.

Hon. Farah Dagogo is not a member of the PDP and the earlier he publicly declares his party that he had been clandestinely hobnobbing with, the better for him.

Rivers PDP is not for sale and cannot be hijacked by Hon. Farah Dagogo and his cohorts.


Hon. Michael John Williams
Executive Chairman,
Degema Local Government Area

Interesting
You mean all this long reap to prove why other ethnic groups should not count in Nigeria?

All for greed and selfishness

Nendan:
Interesting
You mean all this long reap to prove why other ethnic groups should not count in Nigeria?

All for greed and selfishness

Don't mind the fool, one day they'll regret their actions and it'll be too late for them.

The Southerners in PDP should hide their head in shame with the exception of Wike and some other SSners..you see theYorubas and most especially Igbos in the party are nothing to write home about.

North won't rule for straight 12 or 16yrs in this democratic dispensation.. it can't just happen.