… as employment, economic development, and education top citizens’ demands

Five of the 19 governorship candidates contesting the 2027 election in Rivers State have signed a 13-point Citizens’ Charter of Demands, committing to stronger economic growth and accountable governance.

The charter, presented on the platform of the Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI) on Friday in Port Harcourt, includes demands for a state of emergency on education, youth employment, environment, housing, agriculture, economic development and a host of others.

The five candidates who signed the charter on Friday are Ben-Gurion John Peter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Ivy West of the African Action Congress (AAC); Gabriel Pidomson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); Nature Dumale Kieghe of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); and Minaibim Harry of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).

Kingsley Chinda of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Dumo Lulu-Briggs of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) were noticeably absent.

The ‘Rivers We Want’ town hall series, which is in its seventh edition, was put together by the Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI), Super 93.3 FM and the Centre for Peace and Security Studies at the University of Port Harcourt (Uniport), and supported by the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Obinna Ebogidi, convener of the Rivers Peace Initiative (RPI), urged governorship candidates in the state to move beyond campaign promises and respond directly to the citizens’ charter of demands shaped by the priorities of workers, civil society groups, party leaders and ordinary residents.

Ebogidi said the ‘Rivers We Want’ town hall initiative was not designed to choose a candidate for voters, but to create a platform where citizens could interrogate candidates’ plans and later assess performance in office.

“This is not an attempt to choose a candidate for the people. It is an effort to ensure that the people have a meaningful place in the choices before them,” he said.

Ebogidi said the discussion should focus not only on who governs Rivers State, but on the quality of life citizens experience after elections. He argued that the state’s oil wealth, waterways and human talent would mean little if schools, hospitals, security and public institutions failed ordinary people.

“Rivers State is richly endowed. We have human talent, natural resources, a very proud history, and a people whose resilience continues to carry this state through difficult times.

“But the true measure of our wealth is not merely what lies beneath our soil, or flows through our waterways. It is what our people can see, feel and experience in their everyday lives.”

He listed quality education, healthcare, youth opportunities, community safety, responsible management of public resources, accountable institutions and dignity for citizens as the benchmarks against which the next government should be judged.

Ebogidi called on all governorship candidates, including those absent from the event, to engage the charter “in the spirit of openness, sincerity and service”, saying leadership of Rivers State carried a responsibility that went beyond winning an election.

He also cautioned that peace should not be reduced to the absence of violence. He said durable peace required justice, inclusion, mutual respect and institutions that gave every citizen confidence that their voice mattered.

“Peace is not simply the absence of violence. It is the presence of justice, inclusion, mutual respect and institutions that give every citizen confidence that their voice matters,” he said.

Ebogidi urged citizens to remain engaged beyond the ballot box by asking questions, participating peacefully and demanding accountability after campaigns end.

The RPI convener said political victories would fade, but the consequences of governance would remain with communities, children and young people long after the election season.

“Political victories are temporary, but the Rivers we all have to live in is permanent. Our communities will remain, our children will still need quality education, our families will still need healthcare and security, our young people will still need opportunities, and Rivers State will still need accountable leadership and citizens willing to hold it to account,” he said.

Blessing Agabe, police public relations officer of the Rivers State Police Command, representing the command, however urged political actors to prioritise peace, tolerance and responsible conduct throughout the election period.

“An election is not a war and political opponents are not your enemies. No political ambition is worth the loss of a single life,” she said.

Agabe warned youths against allowing themselves to be used as instruments of political violence, thuggery or electoral malpractice, saying their future was more valuable than temporary financial inducements.

“Your future is far more valuable than temporal financial inducements,” she said.

Agabe encouraged eligible voters to participate peacefully, reject vote-buying, avoid hate speech and refrain from spreading false information. She also called on candidates, supporters, community leaders and residents to cooperate with security agencies, obey lawful directives and promptly report suspicious activities.

Meanwhile, Nnanna Onyekwere, chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Rivers State, has warned that the council does not endorse governorship candidates.

Onyekwere said: “IPAC at any time does not endorse candidates. Individual parties have candidates. Individual parties can go into alliances or whatever they want to do, but IPAC as a group does not go into alliances.

“For us, IPAC, we have endorsed all of them together. Whoever emerges is a candidate. It doesn’t matter. And that is our stand,” he said.

Gabriel Pidomson, governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), drew attention to his economic blueprint for Rivers State, presented a day earlier at a BusinessDay event for governorship candidates in the state.

His economic blueprint dwelt on an ambitious plan to move the state from dependence on government spending and oil revenue towards production, industrialisation and job creation.

Pidomson said Rivers’ oil and gas resources, maritime assets, waterways, farmland and strategic location had not translated into broad prosperity.

“Rivers State is one of Nigeria’s most strategically endowed states. It possesses enormous oil and gas resources, a significant maritime economy, extensive waterways, fertile agricultural land, industrial infrastructure, commercial centres, educational institutions, a youthful population and a strategic location from Nigeria’s hinterland to the Atlantic Ocean.

“But these advantages have not translated sufficiently into widespread economic prosperity. A state that contributes substantially to Nigeria’s petroleum economy continues to experience unemployment, poverty, inadequate infrastructure, unreliable electricity, struggling small businesses, environmental degradation, weak agricultural value chains and declining household purchasing power.”

Pidomson said his administration would pursue a fundamental restructuring of the state economy, with production, enterprise and private investment as its central drivers.

Ivy West, governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), outlined a 12-point development agenda focused on peace, job creation, security and social welfare.

West, who described herself as the only female governorship candidate in the race, said her vision would be to rebuild Rivers State into a smart, green and industrial city, while ensuring that no section of society is left behind.