The governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in Rivers State have explained why they were absent from the signing of the 2027 Citizens’ Charter of Demands organised in Port Harcourt.
The event, organised by the Rivers Peace Initiative, was designed to provide a platform for governorship candidates to commit to prioritising the needs and expectations of residents if elected into office.
However, while candidates from five political parties attended the ceremony, APC candidate Hon. Kingsley Chinda and his NDC counterpart, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, were absent.
Speaking on the development, the APC spokesperson in Rivers State, Hon. Chibike Ikenga, questioned whether Chinda had received a formal invitation and whether the date and agenda of the event were suitable for the candidate.
Ikenga said the party needed clarification on the organisers, the issues scheduled for discussion and the circumstances surrounding the invitation.
He maintained that the absence should not be interpreted without first establishing whether the candidate was properly informed about the programme.
Similarly, the spokesperson for the NDC campaign council in Rivers State, Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo, attributed Lulu-Briggs’ absence to a scheduling conflict with the party’s rally in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He acknowledged that an invitation had been delivered to the party but said the campaign’s activities in Bayelsa prevented the candidate from attending.
Ijuye-Dagogo apologised for the absence but also questioned the extent to which the charter represented the views of the wider Rivers population.
He argued that the state’s millions of residents and registered voters should be central to discussions about the expectations of the next government, rather than a limited group of participants.
Also reacting, Oby Ndukwe, an ally of the APC governorship candidate, said she was unaware whether Chinda had received or acknowledged an invitation before the event.
Ndukwe argued that the charter, although part of democratic engagement, was not legally binding on governorship candidates or a determining factor in the outcome of the election.
She maintained that voters would ultimately decide who should govern the state based on candidates’ engagements, town hall meetings, campaign promises and their ability to address public concerns.
According to her, Chinda had been engaging stakeholders through town hall meetings across different communities in Rivers State.
However, the convener of the Rivers Peace Initiative, Obinna Ebogidi, disputed claims surrounding the invitations, confirming that all governorship candidates, including Chinda and Lulu-Briggs, had been invited.
Ebogidi explained that Lulu-Briggs had another political engagement scheduled for the same Friday, adding that organisers had requested that he send his running mate as a representative, but the request was declined.
Regarding Chinda, the convener said the organisers made several attempts to secure his participation, both directly and through influential contacts within the coalition, but received no official response.
He noted that the APC candidate was the one the organisers made the most effort to bring on board.
Ebogidi added that the Rivers Peace Initiative was considering organising separate signing ceremonies for the two candidates to ensure they also had an opportunity to endorse the charter.
He stressed that the document was important to discussions about governance and the expectations of Rivers residents ahead of the 2027 general elections.
