OGONI: We Never Endorsed Wike

The people of Ogoni in Rivers State have distanced themselves from the alleged endorsement of the supervising minister of education, Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike to contest the governorship election in the state on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), come 2015.A group, the Ogoni/Orashi Alliance (OOA), recently endorsed Wike, who hails from the same Ikwerre ethnic nationality and Rivers East senatorial district with the incumbent governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, for the gubernatorial race.

A statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday by the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Ogoni ethnic nationality, described the alleged endorsement as the handiwork of some self-serving Ogoni politicians, and urged the people of Ogoni and the general public to “discountenance the spurious, deceitful and misleading report.”

The statement, signed by MOSOP president, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, gave the names of politicians of Ogoni extraction, who are behind the alleged endorsement of Wike, to include Dr Fred Kpakol, Hon Olaka Nwogu and Chief Monday Ngbor.Pyagbara said, “While we recognise the right of citizens to freedom of expression and association, we are concerned that the approach of these politicians smacks of desperation to the effect that the right, in this case, has been mischievously used with the intent to undermine the Ogoni Project 2015.

“It is a shame that while our people have collectively resolved to move from the Egypt of political marginalisation to the Canaan of effective political representation as adumbrated in the Ogoni Bill of Rights, some few short-sighted Ogoni politicians still want to hold our nationality hostage with their slave mentality of subservience and deadly acquiescence for a pot of pottage in Egypt.“We want to remind them that evidences abound that our people are unanimous in their desire to lead Rivers State come 2015 and we do not see how Ogoni would contemplate endorsing a non-Ogoni over the Ogoni. On the occasion of this year’s ‘Ogoni Day’ celebration, our people reaffirmed this position and warned Ogoni politicians against playing second fiddle.“The approach of these politicians and their supporters is, therefore, not only an attempt to frustrate and subvert the Ogoni aspiration but also a direct confrontation against the position and collective will of the people of Ogoni nationality. We wish to reiterate that Ogoni cannot be put up for sale, not by any Ogoni person or by any outsider.“We would like to reiterate our avowed commitment to mobilising our people to work concertedly to actualise the Ogoni Project 2015. While we are not saying that nobody or community can aspire to govern the state in 2015, we are of the strong view that if recognition of sacrifice and contributions has to be given and the cause of justice, fairness and equity must be served, Rivers people need to support Ogoni in its bid to occupy the office of governor of the state in 2015 as Ogoni had done to other communities in previous elections.”“To this end, we would for the umpteenth time call on the political parties to commit their platforms to interested Ogonis aspiring to the office of governor of Rivers State. We would nonetheless warn local politicians that they would be declared persona non-grata in Ogoni should they again work against the collective interest of the people.”

Source: leadership.ng