By Jimitota Onoyume

PORT HARCOURT—Ogoni indigenes in Rivers State, yesterday marched on the popular Aba Road, Port Harcourt, denouncing what they termed another move to rob them of an opportunity to produce the next governor of the state next year.

It will be recalled that the Ogoni had urged the various political parties in the state to produce their governorship candidate from the area, insisting that it was their turn to be governor of the state.

They had also argued that 2015 should be their turn to produce the governor since they had not produced a governor, deputy or speaker of the state House of Assembly since its creation.

President of Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP, Mr. Legborsi Pyagbara, who led the peaceful protest, said the march was against political slavery of the Ogoni.

He said: “We are here today because there is injustice in Rivers State. We are here today because we are about to be consigned to another 24 years of political slavery in Rivers State and we do not want it.

“Twenty four years ago, we launched a struggle for the political emancipation, economic redemption and environmental restoration of Ogoniland. After over 30 years of independence, Ogoni is still burning in the flames of withering injustice.

“It was this realisation that propelled us in line with the provisions of the Ogoni Bill of Rights, OBR, to launch the Ogoni Project 2015 which amongst others sought Ogoni’s political representation in the position of governor of Rivers State come 2015. We provided all the analysis needed to convince whoever that cares about Ogoni that in the spirit of the principle of rotation, affirmative action and the federal character principle, this opportunity should be given to Ogoni come 2015. The parties had jettisoned this request of ours and had ignored Ogoni in the process, thereby humiliating all of us and making a mockery of the democracy which we all suffered for and nourished with our sweat and with the Ogoni blood. This is injustice.”