Group Tasks Rivers Guber Candidates On People’s Agenda

An advocacy group, Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI), has charged the governorship candidates within the 2027 elections to look past political events and marketing campaign guarantees and give attention to the form of Rivers State residents wish to reside in.

RPI Convener, Obinna Ebogidi, gave the cost on Friday in Port Harcourt, whereas talking through the Rivers 2027 governorship dialogue with the theme: “Rivers 2027: The People’s Agenda.”

The occasion was attended by governorship candidates of political events, leaders of political events, the standard establishments, civil society organisations and the media.

Ebogidi mentioned the dialogue was constructed round a easy however basic query: “Beyond who governs Rivers State, what kind of Rivers State do we want to live in?”

“It is a question that goes beyond political parties, beyond campaign promises, and beyond the excitement of an election season. It concerns the lives we live today, the opportunities available to our people, the security of our communities, and the future we are preparing for the generations coming after us,” he mentioned.

He famous that whereas Rivers is richly endowed with human expertise, pure assets and resilient individuals, the true measure of its wealth will not be what lies beneath its soil or waterways, however what individuals see, really feel and expertise day by day.

“It is the quality of our schools and hospitals. It is the opportunities available to our young people. It is whether our communities are safe, our public resources responsibly managed, our institutions accountable, and our citizens treated with dignity. The Rivers we want must be measured not only by the wealth it generates, but by the quality of life it gives its people,” Ebogidi acknowledged.

He mentioned the Rivers We Want TownHall Series and Governorship Dialogue was convened by the Rivers Peace Initiative in partnership with Super 93.3 FM, Centre for Peace and Security Studies, University of Port Harcourt, and the Trade Union Congress, Rivers State, amongst different stakeholders.

According to him, the gathering will not be to decide on a candidate for the individuals, however to make sure the individuals have a significant place within the selections earlier than them.

“That is why we have worked towards a Citizens’ Charter of Demands: a document shaped by the concerns, aspirations and development priorities of Rivers people. It is not a perfect document, nor should it be treated as the end of the conversation. It is a starting point — a common reference against which promises can be discussed, commitments made, and, ultimately, performance assessed,” he mentioned.

Ebogidi urged governorship candidates to have interaction with what the individuals contemplate necessary with openness, sincerity and spirit of service.

“Today offers an opportunity not merely to tell us what you intend to do, but to engage with what the people consider important,” he mentioned.

He thanked political events, labour leaders, conventional establishments and media companions, stressing that the initiative belongs to no single particular person and its worth lies in putting the widespread good above slender pursuits.

He reminded Rivers folks that democracy doesn’t start and finish on the poll field, including that peace isn’t just absence of violence however presence of justice, inclusion, mutual respect and accountable establishments.

“Political victories are short-term, however the Rivers all of us need to reside in is everlasting. The marketing campaign season will go. Candidates will make their appeals, residents will make their selections, and a authorities will ultimately emerge. But our communities will stay.

“Let today, therefore, be more than another event we attended. Let it be a step towards a political culture in which the people are heard before decisions are made, commitments are taken seriously, and governance is judged by the difference it makes in people’s lives,” Ebogidi declared.