Rivers State Governorship Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, declared that non-indigenes resident in the state have a major stake in determining its political future in the 2027 governorship election.
Lulu-Briggs, who spoke after meeting with a group of non-indigenes in Rivers State, said the group resolved to support his bid to ‘reset Rivers State’ and birth what he described as a ‘new Rivers State.’
He said the residents, many of whom came to Rivers in search of economic opportunities, had endured setbacks attributed to poor leadership and were prepared to use the next election to influence the state’s direction.
According to him, the group’s concerns extended beyond politics to issues affecting their daily lives, including healthcare, education, security and the survival of their businesses.
He said, ‘When they spoke of their purpose, I saw in them pain, readiness, and urgency, a people prepared to rise up and reclaim all they have lost to bad leadership.
‘They believe the next four years are on the ballot: their health, their children’s education, their security, and whether their businesses thrive or suffer further losses.’
The NDC candidate said the group’s decision to support him was based on his leadership experience, independence and people-focused approach.
‘They resolved to support someone with compassion, who is people-focused, who has led himself and led organisations, who is independent and competent enough to lead without interference, and who takes instructions only from God, not man,’ he said.
Lulu-Briggs, however, rejected the description of the residents as ‘non-indigenes’, arguing that their contributions to the state made them part of the Rivers community.
‘I reminded them: we are all Rivers people. They live in Rivers State, do business, and contribute to its economy, peace, security, and growth. That makes them as indigenous as the work they do here, and not ‘non-indigenes,” he said.
He described the group’s position as evidence of what he called a growing political awakening in the state, saying the proposed political reset would require sustained mobilisation ahead of the 2027 election.
‘The truth is, the hour has come. The awakening keeps growing without pause, and this group’s endorsement confirms that resetting Rivers State and birthing a New Rivers State is possible,’ he said.
Lulu-Briggs also warned that those benefiting from the existing political order would resist attempts to change it.
‘But we must work for it with real seriousness. Those who have made themselves slave masters over us will fight to keep us enslaved; they will not let us go easily,’ he said.
He urged the group to take his message to other residents across the state, stressing that the outcome of the 2027 election would depend on voters’ choices.
‘The choice is ours to see this moment of freedom as a need, or dismiss it as a mere want,’ Lulu-Briggs said.
He urged the residents to continue spreading the message of his political movement ‘until victory over these slave masters who have taken God’s place in the lives of men is achieved, come 2027.’