The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has lauded the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for choosing aspirants from the riverine part of the state as their 2023 governorship candidates.
Siminialayi Fubara and Tonye Cole had emerged as candidates of the PDP and APC respectively in the concluded primaries of the parties.
IYC President, Peter Timothy Igbifa, in a statement on Thursday, said the council was happy that the call to allow Rivers Ijaws to take the reins of power in the state was answered.
He called on other ethnic nationalities to support the quest for a riverine governor in 2023, noting that the IYC would return similar gestures in forthcoming political dispensations.
According to him, “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.”
