The Governorship Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Rivers State, Chief Lulu-Briggs Dumo, has commended the organisers of The Rivers We Want 2027 Governorship Dialogue for creating a platform where governorship candidates can engage directly with citizens.
Dumo spoke when the organisers paid a courtesy visit to him ahead of the seventh edition of The Rivers We Want TownHall Series, scheduled to hold on Friday, October 23, 2026, in Port Harcourt.
The dialogue, with the theme, “Rivers 2027: The People’s Agenda,” is expected to bring governorship candidates and citizens together to discuss the challenges confronting the state and the priorities of the next administration.
Dumo described the initiative as a welcome development and commended the organisers for creating an avenue for candidates to speak directly to Rivers people.
He also committed to participating in the engagement, saying it would provide an opportunity to present his views on the challenges facing the state and proposed solutions.
The Convener of the Rivers Peace Initiative and organiser of The Rivers We Want TownHall Series, Obinna Ebogidi, said the dialogue was designed to move political conversations beyond conventional engagements by placing evidence, citizens’ concerns, ideas and competing visions for Rivers State at the centre.
Ebogidi said the programme would feature a substantive presentation titled, “Rivers Yesterday, Rivers Today and the Rivers We Want Tomorrow,” followed by structured engagements between governorship candidates and citizens on issues arising from the presentation.
He said the process would also contribute to the development of a Citizens’ Charter for Rivers 2027, based on consultations with citizens and relevant stakeholders, to provide a framework for continued engagement and accountability beyond the election.
According to him, the organisers are building a broad coalition of civic, development, labour, academic and media stakeholders from within and outside Nigeria around the initiative.
He disclosed that engagements were ongoing with the Canadian Mission, European Union and British Council, while leading civil society organisations had also expressed support and participation in the initiative.
Ebogidi added that the Rivers State chapter of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) was actively involved in the planning process.
He said the objective was to make the dialogue a practical and substantive engagement that would reflect the concerns and aspirations of Rivers people and enable citizens to hear directly from candidates about their understanding of the state’s challenges, priorities and proposed solutions.
Ebogidi further disclosed that the organisers were engaging Rivers people across different age groups and locations to develop a people-driven agenda focused on the priorities of the next administration.
He said another component of the dialogue would be unveiled at an appropriate time, noting that the initiative would go beyond political participation and a peace accord to develop an agenda driven by citizens’ priorities.
The engagement was attended by the NDC State Chairman, Success Jack, other members of the State Executive Committee and members of the campaign organisation.
The General Manager of Super 93.3 FM, Port Harcourt, Pastor Segun Owolabi, who is also one of the organisers of the dialogue, was present at the meeting.
