Reclaim Rivers Advocates on Thursday urged Rivers State to choose a people-driven governor beyond godfatherism, using a press briefing in Port Harcourt to push Blessing Fubara Snr as the Nigerian Democratic Congress candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The group said Fubara has continued to reshape political conversations across the state and now appears more in step with the mood of Rivers people than Gabriel Pidomson and Kingsley Chinda. George Awaji said that after the screening of aspirants and the expected party primaries, “one name continues to generate increasing momentum across the political landscape, Blessing Fubara of the NDC.”
That pitch comes at a time when Rivers politics is already moving toward 2027, with voters being courted around questions of control, loyalty and who can speak for a state still defined by elite bargaining. Reclaim Rivers Advocates cast Fubara as a break from that pattern, saying young people are increasingly drawn to leaders seen as relatable, less controlled by entrenched interests and more focused on economic opportunity, entrepreneurship, innovation and inclusive governance.
The group said his message is about “restoring the soul of Rivers State and returning governance to the people,” adding that supporters point to his administrative exposure and developmental outlook as signs he could deliver stability, infrastructure renewal, economic growth and investor confidence. It described his support base as organic, built on public sentiment and grassroots acceptance rather than the machinery of patronage.
The timing also lands against the backdrop of a separate political fight that has shadowed Rivers for months. On Monday, Nyesom Wike said he was not surprised by Siminalayi Fubara’s withdrawal from the APC governorship race, adding that he should not have picked up the nomination form in the first place and should not have spoken about a second tenure. A day earlier, Fubara had announced he was leaving the contest, and Kingsley Chinda emerged winner of the Rivers APC governorship primary on May 21.
For now, the argument from Reclaim Rivers Advocates is plain: in a state still wrestling with who truly controls its politics, Blessing Fubara is being presented as the candidate who can pull power back toward voters. Whether that message broadens beyond the room in Port Harcourt will help decide whether his momentum becomes a real force when Rivers heads into the 2027 race.
