PRESIDENT JONATHAN IS INTERESTED IN WHAT HAPPENS IN RIVERS STATE. HE IS OUR BROTHER. - CHIEF. BARR DUMO LULU BRIGGS

....AHEAD 2015 GUBER ELECTIONS IN RIVERS STATE

PRESIDENT JONATHAN IS INTERESTED IN WHAT HAPPENS IN RIVERS STATE. HE IS OUR BROTHER.

- CHIEF BARR DUMO LULU BRIGGS

Chief Barr. Dumo Lulu Briggs is one of the front runner Guber aspirants in the PDP in Rivers state. He was among the 16 riverine aspirants that called on the party’s national exco to cancel the ward congresses conducted by the party two weeks ago which was boycotted by the other aspirants due to perceived irregularities in the preparations . He spoke to political reporters following the cancellation of the ward congresses and other issues in the state

“ I must congratulate the national exco of our great party, the PDP, for having the boldness to do the right thing. It took a lot of courage but then, i have always known that our party, the PDP, will do the right thing. PDP has a great internal democracy mechanism that has always helped us to resolve issues; that is the strength of our party.

From the onset the majority of Rivers people were against the ward congresses because we felt a lot of things had not been put in place and it was therefore like putting the cart before the horse to have a ward congress when a party register was not in place. But certain persons felt they had the powers to go ahead despite our protest and today, the congresses have been cancelled. Thos e ward congresses were a sham.

And also don’t forget the President though he does not make public pronouncements on such issues is our brother. Rivers State is very dear to him and he will always want the best for the state. Therefore i know he will resist anything that will derail his support base in the state”.

''And also don’t forget the President though he does not make public pronouncements on such issues is our brother. Rivers State is very dear to him and he will always want the best for the state. Therefore i know he will resist anything that will derail his support base in the state”.

Asked whether he still believed that the governorship ticket will still be zoned to the riverine aspirants despite the pronouncement of the Party charman, Mr Felix Obuah , that it was now an open race, he said,

‘’Yes, zoning is possible. Equity, justice and fair play dictate that zoning should be the criteria for choosing the party’s flag bearer in Rivers State for the guber pools in 2015.

Zoning is entrenched in the constitution of the PDP and zoning only recently was used in Akwa Ibom and other states of the country controlled by the PDP to pick candidates and Rivers State will not be an exception”.

Rivers state’, he revealed has always had what their political fathers called the upland and riverine dichotomy and it has always served them well.

He continued,

“The upland has produced the Governor for two consecutive terms of eight years each which is 16 years. It is only fair that the riverine people who have supported and waited patiently be also allowed to rule the state and contribute their own quota to development in 2015. You cannot impose another upland person on Rivers state after 16 years of their clinging to power; it’s just unacceptable to our people. That is why we are clamouring for zoning. This should be allowed to happen in the interest of peace, fair play and brotherliness that has always existed amongst us.

Despite the pronouncement of the State party chairman, we are confident that the national exco of our party will over rule him on that in the interest of justice and fair play and also in the interest of the future of the PDP in Rivers state. I must tell you that the clamour for zoning to the riverine in Rivers state is total and wide spread and despite the opposition of a few persons, we believe that in the end, the will of the people will prevail. And the ticket will be zone to the riverine.

I have always been a bridge builder and i believe in politics without bitterness, we all are brothers and the development of Rivers state is our common goal despite our individual ambitions”.

Chief Barr. Dumo Lulu Briggs also debunked rumours that he had been offered financial inducement to jettison his ambition to contest the guber elections in 2015

“Let me make this very clear, i will not step down for anybody. We have run a very open and consultative campaign so far. We have built a formidable structure based on solid support from across the state with both the young and old clamouring for change and liberation of which i am the arrow head.I am in this race to win and win fairly.

Dumo said By the grace of God, he is very comfortable in his private capacity . He runs a conglomerate that has investments in the oil and gas industry as well as maritime sector in the Niger Delta . He said he decided to put all of that aside to help uplift the majority who live in the shadows of life; the poor, the needy, the old, the infirm. Rivers state he said has millions of such people and he sees them every day. Philanthropy has always been a part of him but he have realised that he is limited as an individual to the number of people he can help hence his decision to put up himself for service.

He added,

“ Right now we are about 26 aspirants from the PDP, i believe that at some point our party will come together and pick a candidate, at such a time when that candidate is know, we all we all will give him or her our collective support . Until then, let it be known that i will remain in the race. I will not step down for anybody because of any personal considerations or monetary gains; God has thankfully taken us beyond that level”.

In spite of the problems in the PDP in the state Dumo says he has never considered decamping as an option. “Never. Decamping to another party is not an option and will never be. I am a loyal party man and i will always be one. All of us 16 aspirants will stay in the PDP to fight any problems that arise and from within we will resolve the issues and forge ahead. At the end of the day, the growth and unity of our party is uppermost on our minds, but if anybody feels they can frustrate me and my supporters out of the PDP, they have failed. We have nowhere else to go”.