Ann-Kio Briggs, a member of the Rivers Elders Forum, has criticised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for failing the people of Rivers State, saying the party’s inaction worsened the effects of prolonged political crises.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics on September 21, Briggs lamented that despite Rivers people’s loyalty to the PDP since 1999, the party did not rise to the occasion when it mattered most.
“I definitely feel, as a stakeholder and elder, let down by the PDP political party because, since 1999, we have always voted, including me, for the PDP.
“If they had stepped in and done what they should have done from the beginning, not just in Rivers State but as a political party so prominent in the Niger Delta, the PDP would not find itself where it is today,” she said.
Briggs said internal divisions and power struggles weakened the PDP’s influence, leaving the state to bear the brunt of political instability.
“The party’s negligence worsened the political situation in Rivers State, forcing the state to grapple with damage that could have been avoided had the PDP acted responsibly,” she added.
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While Governor Siminalayi Fubara expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for brokering peace, Briggs distanced herself from such sentiments.
“Definitely not, even the President himself will be aware that not everybody in Rivers state is going to be eternally grateful to him or to even the minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and all the politicians, as a matter of fact.
“I am not as happy or grateful to the APC party as the governor is; he is the politician, and I am not,” she said, noting that both APC and PDP contributed to the crisis.
Briggs stressed that the true lesson lies with the electorate.
“I think the biggest lesson has been learned by the people of Rivers State, the electorate, to know that we have rights that are much bigger and more profound than the rights the politicians believe they have. They won’t be where they are without the people of Rivers State,” she concluded.