The convener, Ogoni Democracy and Development Forum, Legborsi Pyagbara, has said the Ogoni was the most marginalized ethnic group in Rivers State, and therefore, deserved to produce Governor Nyesom Wike’ s successor come 2023.
Pyagbara, who is the former President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
He lamented that since the state was created in 1967, no Ogoni had emerged as governor, military administrator, deputy governor, Speaker of the state House of Assembly or Chief Judge of the state.
While calling for ethnic justice, he called on the two main political parties, the People’s Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, to field only Ogoni as candidates for the 2023 governorship election in the state.
He called on those who believe in justice to use their goodwill to facilitate the move for Ogoni to produce a governor in 2023, saying the Kalabari and Ikwerre have got a fair share of leadership, while the Ogoni has remained marginalized.
“We are appealing that the leaders should demonstrate statesmanship, equity, fairplay and sense of justice by ensuring that a Rivers person of Ogoni extraction emerges as governorship flag bearer on their various political parties particularly the APC and the PDP.
“Justice is to a people, not a geographical zone. Power is also used to address issues of justice and inequality,” he stated, pointing out that the Ogoni people have suffered many political marginalisation, economic strangulation and environmental degradation which has reduced them to the lowest aspects of the society.
Pyagbabra added,”The issue of political marginalisation of the Ogoni people had been one of the triplets of core issues in the ongoing Ogoni struggle for justice.
“The Ogoni Bill of Rights submitted to the government and people of Nigeria in October 1990 had amongst others called on the government of Nigeria to guarantee the Ogoni people adequate and direct representation of rights in all Nigeria national institutions.”
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