The political equilibrium and dynamics is changing in Rivers State as the 2023 presidential election draws near. In Rivers State, which used to be the commercial industrial hub of the former Eastern Region administration, there is a large concentration of Igbo-speaking groups. With their dominance in business and blue chip industries in Rivers State, it will be a herculean task for any political party that doesn’t have an Igbo presidential candidate to win.
The proximity of the 5 South Eastern states, comprising of Imo, Anambra, Abia and Ebonyi to Rivers State has made it easier for fluidity in logistics and mobilization of voters in Rivers State. This time around, with the state of insecurity around Nigeria (with South Eastern Nigeria not being an exception, these Igbo residents in Rivers, State would prefer casting their votes at their place of business instead of returning to their ancestral homes as they are used to doing before the problem of insecurity came to be.
The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi will eventually maximize the benefits of the quest for the Igbos residing in Rivers State to vote for one of their own in the February 25th, 2023 presidential election.
The Obidient Movement may not have been gathering so much fluidity and mass appeal but Igbo youths, who were agitators of proscribed Biafra, are now putting up their energies to support Peter Obi. The same thing goes with the spread of this vibrant population of Igbo youths doing business across the 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja as they are now constituting social media influencers and Rivers State is no exception.
For Peter Obi, Rivers State is one of the places for realizing his presidential electoral fortunes. He has been using the social groups, especially Town Unions and Market Associations in Rivers State to canvass support and this seems to be working for the Labour Party which hitherto had been unpopular before Peter Obi took it as his newly acquired political platform for the 2023 presidential election.
