Rivers State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, has urged women across the state not to exchange their votes for money ahead of the 2027 election.
Lulu-Briggs, who spoke to NDC women leaders and their deputies from the 23 local government areas, likened vote-buying to the biblical account of Esau, who sold his birthright for a meal.
He said money offered to voters during elections could represent public resources being returned to them as inducement.
‘The money dangled before them as bait to impoverish them for another four years is their own money, gotten from their commonwealth and handed back as a bribe. There is no way anyone can ‘dash’ them what already belongs to them,’ he said.
The NDC candidate urged the women to reject short-term inducements and focus on opportunities that could improve their livelihoods and those of their children.
Lulu-Briggs said his proposed ‘Reset Government’ would seek to reduce dependence on political connections for economic opportunities by improving access to jobs, finance, markets and skills development.
He said the NDC set a target to lay the foundation for Rivers State’s economy to grow from $20 billion to $200 billion within 15 years.
‘We have set our sights on laying the foundation to move Rivers State from a $20 billion economy today to a $200 billion economy within fifteen years,’ he said.
Lulu-Briggs said the target could not be achieved without women, whose businesses, farms, fisheries and market activities contribute significantly to the state’s economic life.
‘No economy grows tenfold on the backs of men alone. It will take the small businesses our women run, the farms and fisheries they work, the markets they sustain, and the households they hold together,’ he said.
He also promised skills training linked to employment, improved access to finance and markets, and greater attention to clean water, environmental protection, and community safety.
Lulu-Briggs said his administration would be judged by tangible results, not promises.
‘This is not a promise of a blank cheque; it is a covenant to be judged by evidence, by what our women can see change in their own homes and businesses,’ he said.
He urged the women to take the ‘Reset Rivers State’ message to communities across the state, mobilise voters and protect their votes.