By Emma Okereh
As political parties in Rivers state jostle for votes ahead of the October 5 local government elections, the leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is expected to flag off the campaign for the party’s candidates on September 21, 2024, in Rivers state.
The former Kano State governor, who was the NNPP Presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, will, among other venues, address the teeming supporters of the party at the Bonny Women Hall playground. He is expected to canvass for votes for the NNPP candidates led by the chairmanship candidate for Bonny Local Government Area, Ambassador Fubara Dagogo, and his vice, Mrs. Kele Kabaka Brown-Momoh.
The NNPP chairmanship candidate for Bonny Local Government Area, Ambassador Fubara Dagogo disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.
He noted that, as the global leader of the NNPP and the renowned Kwankwasiya Movement which spans across the country and beyond, the visit of Kwankwaso is expected to send a strong message to political stakeholders in Rivers State ahead of the polls.
According to the former Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) State Assembly Forum (ASAF), while the NNPP leader will storm the state with his entourage, including the governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, and other national leaders of the party, several political stakeholders in Rivers State, including the chairman of NNPP in Rivers State, Jon Godson Green; the chairman of the All Progressives Movement in Bonny, Hon. Henry Akul Holliday and the chairman of the Rivers SIMplified Voter Caucus, Hon. Ibifaman Allwell Brown, are expected to be present.
Recall that both movements cut across political lines in Rivers State, with political actors in the state continuing to seek winning platforms ahead of the October 5 polls.
“As our global leader, His Excellency, Musa Kwankwaso is scheduled to flag off our campaign on September 21. We all know the great influence he commands in Nigerian politics. It’s obvious that the people of Rivers, especially my dear people of Bonny Local Government Area, will be glad to hear him speak to them.
“It’s clear that our leader and the NNPP need to make a bold statement with the upcoming Rivers Local Government Area election as we push for victory, to rewrite many misconceptions and wrong narratives about us in the NNPP.
“Bonny Local Government Area is home to various groups of Nigerians and has a significant number of members from the Kwankwasiya Movement in Rivers State. Also, our great party, the NNPP, has shown considerable influence in Bonny Local Government, and we are confident of victory at the polls.
“Also, recall that our candidacy has received support from across political divides in Rivers State. We have several members from the All Progressives Movement and SIMplified Movement backing us. This has further strengthened our candidacy compared to others in this election, as the governor has made it clear that he has not endorsed anyone for the polls,” Fubara disclosed.
