By Emma Okereh
As various political parties intensify campaigns ahead of the October 5 local government area election in Rivers State, the people of Finima community in Bonny Local Government Area have expressed their readiness to support their daughter, Kele Kabaka Brown – Momoh, whom they identify as the only indigene of the oil-rich community considered by any of the political parties in the race.
Mrs. Brown – Momoh is the vice chairmanship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), running alongside Ambassador Fubara Dagogo, who is the chairmanship candidate.
The people of Finima expressed gratitude to the NNPP and Ambassador Fubara Dagogo for considering their daughter as the vice chairmanship candidate. They also criticized other political parties for overlooking their oil-rich community, which boasts the highest number of registered voters in Bonny Local Government Area.
In a statement signed by Elder Darlington Biedima Tobin, the Finima community stated that they would use the upcoming LG election to make a statement to the people of Bonny Local Government Area and Rivers State at large.
The statement expressed satisfaction with the NNPP’s choice of Kele Kabaka Brown – Momoh and urged all voters in the community to support her candidacy. It emphasized that she would be the community’s representative at the local government level.
The statement also reaffirmed the community’s support for Governor Siminaliayi Fubara and emphasized their commitment to backing their own (Kele Kabaka Brown – Momoh) to ensure her victory in the election.
Furthermore, the statement expressed the community’s disapproval of other political parties’ decision to ignore Finima in selecting chairmanship and vice chairmanship candidates. It emphasized that Finima is too significant to be marginalized in the administration of Bonny Local Government Area.
Elder Darlington Biedima Tobin noted, however, that the community’s decision pertains only to the chairmanship election. He acknowledged that sons and daughters of Finima are also running as councilorship candidates in other political parties. The community advised that while voters are free to choose any councilorship candidate, they should ensure that Mrs. Brown – Momoh is elected vice chairman of the local government area.
“We, the people of Finima, will use the October 5 local government area election to make a bold statement and protest against the decision of other political parties in Bonny LG to marginalize us. Finima is an oil-rich community that hosts many multinational oil companies, including Shell, Mobil, Chevron, and others.
“Furthermore, we have remained a significant force in Rivers State elections, considering our numerical strength. Finima can boast of having the highest number of registered voters in Bonny Local Government Area, with over 12,000 votes.
“We assure that our daughter, Mrs. Kele Kabaka Brown – Momoh, the only indigene of Finima considered by any political party for a higher position at the LG headquarters, will receive all our votes. Mrs. Brown – Momoh is one of our own, and we will not only vote for her, but we will also protect our votes from the polling units to the wards and until the final declaration.
“Considering the voting strength of Finima, we strongly believe that we should not allow ourselves to be relegated to the background in the administration of our local government area. Therefore, we will vote for Kele Kabaka Brown – Momoh and send her to represent us at the council.
“This position does not detract from our unwavering support for our beloved governor, Sim Fubara, as we remain strongly committed to his administration. We also emphasize that our daughter and NNPP vice chairmanship candidate, Kele Kabaka Brown – Momoh, is a strong supporter of Governor Siminaliayi Fubara and a member of the SIMplified political movement in our local government area.
“We strongly call on all registered voters in Finima to come out on Saturday, October 5, to deliver our daughter and her chairmanship candidate, while voting for any other councilorship candidate of their choice,” the community demanded.
