For Rivers State Peoples Democratic party (PDP) governorship aspirant, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, there is no need to jump into campaign frenzy on 2015 politics, especially as the race is yet to be officially declared open.
Lulu-Briggs
Lulu-Briggs explained to TheNiche that yielding to the deafening clamour to embark on campaigns when the rules are yet to be released would amount to political indiscipline.
His principled explanation comes as the PDP in the state battles a group that goes by the name, Rivers Mainstream Coalition, whose sole aim is ostensibly to provide a consensus candidate that would confront the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike.
Over seven aspirants are currently jostling for the ticket of the party to the Brick House in 2015.
Ambition not priority
Lulu-Briggs, however, says he is currently occupied with his sensitisation campaign on the breast cancer and the dreaded Ebola disease among the women and the rural dwellers in the state.
Three political pressure groups, on July 21, 2014, called on the politician, who is Chairman of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, to vie for the Rivers State governorship on the platform of the PDP. The groups are the Rivers Democratic Network, Kengema Peoples’ Club and Ogoni Liberation Platform.
Sealed lips
Lulu-Briggs, who is yet to respond to the invitation, spoke at the launching of his pet project, Women for Development, an initiative driven by his Dumo Lulu-Briggs (DLB) Support Group, which focuses on women’s health and development. Over 3,000 women from rural communities in the state and the state capital, Port Harcourt, as well as community leaders, medical experts and PDP supporters witnessed the launch where kits for self-examination and early detection of breast cancer were distributed to the women.
Also, sensitisation lectures were conducted on cancer and Ebola disease with field agents appointed for Rural Areas Campaign.
Elitist campaign
Lulu-Briggs explained that the campaign by some aspirants which focuses on radio, television and newspapers are elitist and does not cover much of the population at the grassroots.
“We in DLP believe that the basis of politics and governance is to secure the life and well-being of the people as a guarantee for the future of the nation. Some politicians think about 2015 and how to return to their seats for another term, (but) we think of how to secure the future through fostering a healthy nation with equal opportunities for all and not for a few,” he stressed at the occasion.
Eminently qualified
On his political direction, Lulu-Briggs said that as a PDP member, he was eminently qualified to run for any office in the land including the Rivers governorship seat, pointing out that the state is richly blessed with abundant human and material resources to guarantee better life for her people.
“This is our agenda. We had a mandate to govern this state as PDP and we have to reclaim the mandate. For us to do that, we must produce a sellable candidate,” he said and urged the people not to bicker over who becomes PDP governorship candidate in the state yet, as the party will choose its candidate at the appointed time.
Rivers PDP kicks
Incidentally, the Rivers chapter of PDP has taken a swipe on the PDP mainstream group, describing it as a fluke. The party on Monday, August 18, in an online statement in Port Harcourt, said: “A group known as Rivers Mainstream Coalition is not known to the party and is not one of the groups that have been collaborating and supporting the PDP in the state.”
The statement signed by PDP Chairman, Felix Obua, indicated that the party has commenced investigations to verify the role of individuals and groups behind the coalition in view of the seriousness the party attaches to membership cohesion and respect for order.
“If the findings show that they are members of the party, we will take appropriate actions by invoking the relevant provisions of the party’s constitution to address this rascality.
“While the party will not rebuff genuine co-operation from our members, it is appalling to imagine that an unregistered body, which is a stranger to the PDP, will shamelessly summon the temerity to appoint so-called governorship ‘aspirants’ and begin to invite them to meetings without the minutest regard for the party chairman and his executive committee in Rivers State.
“Worse still, the party’s logo was used by the unauthorised group and persons in the said publication,” the party lamented.
Moles from APC?
The party remarked that the strength of the PDP in the state is a threat to the APC, adding: “We have it on good authority that the APC has been planting moles in the PDP to cause confusion and weaken the existing bond of unity in the PDP.”
It repudiated what it called the claim by the Rivers Mainstream Coalition that it is supporting President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We are not persuaded by the smokescreen and false claim that the Rivers Mainstream Coalition is a conglomerate of organisations that support President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the PDP until such claim is demonstrated in real action through effective mobilisation of people and giving the party the needed support from the ward levels to the centre,” it said.
