A Rivers State civil society group has faulted Senator Magnus Abe for championing ‘political procrastination” against the Ogoni people’s determination to break the jinx of not having produced the governor of the state since its creation.

Abe, Chairman, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), had advocated that the aspiration for power-sharing equity in Rivers must bypass “emotional mobilisation” and instead follow “clear strategy” and “long-term planning.”

Abe’s support for Ikwerre’s Kingsley Chinda, All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers governorship candidate and opposition to Ogoni son, Dr Gabriel Pidomson, as candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election has stirred resentment among Ogonis.

Challenging his disposition in a statement by Sir Joe Korka-Waadah, Executive Director, Compassionate Heart Foundation of Canada, the group decries Abe as talking from a point of sentiment to please an individual against the common cause.

He stated, “While we respect the Senator’s long career in the corridors of power, we must state clearly that the line between “deliberate coordination” and permanent political procrastination has become blurred in his narrative.

“For over a decade, Rivers people, Ogoni nationality in particular, have been sold the promise of a “strategic roadmap” that somehow always terminates in Abuja appointments for one man, while leaving the collective aspiration of the people stranded at the starting line.”

Against Abe’s caution, the Foundation defended, “Dr. Gabriel Pidomson’s emergence as guber candidate on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is not an emotional outburst. It’s a masterstroke in independent political strategy.

“We are not confronting individuals; we are confronting a broken, centralised system that believes two men must permanently alternate the destiny of 7 million Rivers people.”

Waadah further pointed to fallacy in Abe’s “Long-term planning as if the political marginalisation of ethnic nationalities in Rivers State just began yesterday. How much longer must the people wait? Another eight years? Another generation?

“True political strategy is about recognising the strategic window of opportunity. In 2026, Rivers State is suffering from profound “conflict fatigue” caused by the proxy wars of the dominant factions.

“Traditional party structures are fractured, bleeding. Telling the people to wait for a comfortable, long-term future plan in the middle of a live political realignment is not strategy; it’s a failure of leadership. The ADC has seized the moment while others are waiting for permission.

“To label the organic, grassroots enthusiasm surrounding Dr. Pidomson’s candidacy as “emotional mobilisation” is an insult to the intelligence of Rivers voters.

“The professionals, youth, market women, and elders aligning with the ADC are doing so based on cold, hard data. They see a state paralysed by ego, a frozen legislature, and a capital city choked by political rallies.

“They are mobilising because they want an infrastructure-driven, technocratic government. Dismissing the genuine hunger for change as “emotion” shows how disconnected the old guard has become from the streets of Port Harcourt and the 23 LGAs.”

The Foundation added, “Senator Abe correctly notes that leadership is judged by impact rather than position. We agree. And the greatest impact a leader can make right now is to provide an alternative.

“By securing the gubernatorial ticket of the ADC, Dr. Pidomson has broken the false binary. He has created a platform where independent minds can contest without being subjected to the humiliation of godfatherism. That is a living legacy of courage.”

While hailing Abe’s appointment to the NUPRC, a vital national assignment, the group advised him to bring his wealth of experience to bear on Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector, which sorely needs it.

“However, as far as the governance of Rivers State is concerned, the train has left the station. The ‘Third Path’ is no longer a theory to be debated on radio programmes; it is a live, operational political machine moving through the 23 LGAs.

“We invite the Senator, and all stakeholders who genuinely want to see an end to marginalization and conflict, to join this moving train. The strategy is simple, clear, and currently being executed: We are building a New Rivers, and we are doing it now”, Waadah concluded.