The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has commended the two main political parties in Rivers State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for producing their governorship candidates from the riverine part of the state.
The IYC President, Peter Timothy Igbifa, in a statement on Thursday sent to DAILY POST, expressed happiness that the parties heeded his call for equity and justice in the state by allowing Rivers Ijaw to fly their flags.
Igbifa described the governorship candidates of the PDP, Siminialayi Fubara and that of the APC, Tonye Cole, as two illustrious, focused and enterprising Ijaw sons, saying the Ijaw nation was proud of them.
He called on other ethnic nationalities to close their ranks and support the quest for a riverine governor in 2023.
Igbifa said the riverine area of the state would on its part return similar gestures in forthcoming political dispensations.
The IYC boss further appealed to other political parties to emulate the APC and the PDP by giving their governorship flags to Ijaw candidates
He said: “During the Boro Day celebration, I appealed to the APC and the PDP including other parties to give their governorship tickets to candidates from the riverine area of the state in the interest of justice and equity.
“On Wednesday, May 25th, the PDP in a peaceful and organised primary election gave us our brother, Siminialayi Fubara, who hails from the riverine Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Area.
“On Thursday 26th, the APC in another well-organised primary election produced another of our illustrious son, Tonye Cole, who hails from Abonnema as their candidate. We are grateful to them and we are asking other political parties to toe a similar path.
“We are also calling on other ethnic nationalities to close their ranks and support our quest for a riverine governor in 2023. We will always stand by them in the forthcoming political dispensations.”
