Residents of Rivers State have challenged governorship candidates in the 2027 election to commit to concrete solutions to unemployment, failing infrastructure, declining public services and worsening economic conditions, warning that the next administration must be judged by measurable improvements in the lives of citizens rather than campaign promises.
The demand was made on Sunday at the seventh edition of the Rivers We Want town hall meeting in Port Harcourt, where five governorship candidates from different political parties signed a 13-point Citizens’ Charter of Demands outlining the priorities and expectations of the electorate.
The candidates were Ben-Gurion John Peter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ivy West of the African Action Congress (AAC), Dr Gabriel Pidomson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dumale Kieghe of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Minaibim Harry of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).
The charter outlines citizens’ expectations of the next administration, with particular emphasis on urgent interventions in education, youth employment, environmental protection, housing, agriculture and economic development.
Speaking at the event, Convener of the Rivers Peace Initiative, Obinna Ebogidi, said the engagement was designed to move political discourse beyond campaign rhetoric by placing citizens’ expectations and the responsibilities of elected leaders at the centre of the 2027 electoral process.
Ebogidi explained that the initiative was not intended to influence voters in favour of any particular candidate but to provide residents with an opportunity to scrutinise the candidates’ programmes and establish clear standards against which the next administration could be assessed.
“This is not an attempt to choose a candidate for the people. It is an effort to ensure that the people have a meaningful place in the choices before them,” he said.
He expressed concern that despite Rivers State’s abundant natural resources and considerable economic potential, the benefits had not translated into improved living conditions for many residents.
According to him, the performance of the next administration should be measured not merely by the state’s revenue or natural resources but by the quality of life experienced by its people.
“The true measure of our wealth is not merely what lies beneath our soil, or flows through our waterways. It is what our people can see, feel and experience in their everyday lives,” Ebogidi stated.
He identified quality education, accessible healthcare, employment opportunities, community safety, prudent management of public resources and accountable institutions as essential indicators of responsible governance.
The Rivers Peace Initiative convener also urged governorship candidates who were absent from the meeting to study and engage with the Citizens’ Charter, stressing that the responsibility of governing the state extended beyond winning an election.
He called on residents to sustain their participation in governance after the elections by asking questions, monitoring government activities and demanding accountability from elected officials.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command has cautioned political parties, governorship candidates and their supporters against violence, intimidation and other activities capable of threatening public safety as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.
The command’s spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, who represented the police at the town hall meeting, warned politicians against allowing political rivalry to degenerate into hostility and violence.
“An election is not a war and political opponents are not your enemies. No political ambition is worth the loss of a single life,” she cautioned.
Agabe particularly warned young people against allowing themselves to be recruited as political thugs or used to perpetrate violence and electoral malpractice.
She urged youths to resist financial inducements from politicians, emphasising that their future was more valuable than temporary monetary benefits.
“Your future is far more valuable than temporal financial inducements,” she said.
The police spokesperson also called on eligible voters to reject vote-buying, hate speech and misinformation, while urging political actors and community leaders to cooperate with security agencies in maintaining peace before, during and after the elections.
In his remarks, Rivers State Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Nnanna Onyekwere, declared that the council would not endorse any individual governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 election.
He explained that although individual political parties were at liberty to endorse candidates or enter into political alliances, IPAC would maintain its neutrality and recognise all participating candidates.
“For us, IPAC, we have endorsed all of them together. Whoever emerges is a candidate. It doesn’t matter. And that is our stand,” Onyekwere said.
Presenting his development proposals, the ADC governorship candidate, Dr Gabriel Pidomson, unveiled an economic blueprint aimed at reducing Rivers State’s dependence on government expenditure and oil revenue through increased production, industrialisation, private-sector investment and employment generation.
Pidomson observed that despite the state’s considerable oil and gas resources, maritime assets, agricultural potential and strategic geographical location, Rivers continued to grapple with unemployment, poverty, inadequate infrastructure, unreliable electricity supply and environmental degradation.
He proposed restructuring the state’s economy around production, enterprise and private-sector participation, arguing that sustainable prosperity would depend on creating an environment where businesses could thrive and employment opportunities could expand beyond government establishments.
Similarly, the AAC governorship candidate, Ivy West, presented a 12-point development agenda centred on peace, employment generation, security and social welfare.
West said her vision was to transform Rivers State into a smart, green and industrial city while promoting inclusive development and ensuring that the benefits of economic growth reached all sections of society.
The town hall meeting was organised by the Rivers Peace Initiative in collaboration with Super 93.3 FM and the Centre for Peace and Security Studies, University of Port Harcourt, with support from the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The organisers said the engagement was part of efforts to strengthen citizens’ participation in governance, promote issue-based political campaigns and establish measurable benchmarks for evaluating the performance of the next Rivers State administration.
With the 2027 governorship election approaching, the Citizens’ Charter of Demands is expected to serve as a reference point for residents seeking to hold political candidates accountable for their promises and ensure that governance priorities reflect the needs and aspirations of the people.
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