On The Frontline With Boma
It is often said that the monkey appears clever because there are enough trees around it upon which it can display its acrobatics. In the same vein, the village dancer only dances with unusual confidence when the drums behind him are loud, supportive and unrelenting. Power behaves in much the same way. Political actors become daring when they are surrounded by loyal choristers, praise singers and a fearful population unwilling to challenge questionable decisions. In Rivers State today, one dangerous political reality is gradually gaining roots — the dangerous assumption that political dominance by a particular bloc must continue endlessly because “nothing will happen.”
That mentality is not merely unhealthy; it is combustible.
In the build-up to the gubernatorial primaries of the All Progressives Congress APC, speculations flooded the political atmosphere that the eventual flag bearer would emerge from the same ethnic extraction as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. For weeks, banner headlines screamed: “Wike Anoints Chinda.” Some dismissed it as political gossip. Others believed there was substance behind the rumours. Unfortunately, events have now validated the fears of many observers, as another son of Obio/Akpor from the Ikwerre ethnic nationality emerged as the preferred choice for the governorship position under the APC platform.
The question many Rivers people are asking is simple: why must political power continue revolving within the same circle in a state blessed with numerous ethnic nationalities, intellectual capacity and abundant human resources spread across every senatorial district?
That question should not be dismissed as bitterness. Neither should those asking it be branded enemies. Democracy loses its soul the moment legitimate concerns are interpreted as rebellion.
I am not an ethnic jingoist. I have never believed that competence resides in one tribe alone. Rivers State is far too sophisticated, educated and politically exposed to reduce governance to ethnic entitlement. I write simply as a man with a pen and a conscience. And in doing so, I stand beside courageous voices like Donu Kogbara, the respected journalist and fearless public commentator whose recent intervention on the Rivers political equation has stirred conversations across the state and beyond.
When Donu declared, “I will fight Chinda,” those unfamiliar with the language of activism deliberately twisted her words. She was not issuing a threat of violence. She was not mobilising militias. She was speaking with the weapon known to every journalist and democrat — the pen. Donu Kogbara belongs to that rare generation of journalists who understand that silence in the face of perceived injustice is betrayal. She understands that the media was never designed to massage power endlessly but to question it.
In journalism, there is an old saying that there are no women in the profession; everyone is simply addressed as “Gentlemen of the Press.” Donu has earned her place among those distinguished voices who speak truth to authority without fear or favour. Her courage is not accidental. It is rooted in history.
Nigeria itself owes part of its freedom to stubborn men and women of the pen who challenged colonialism and dictatorship. We read about Nnamdi Azikiwe and his nationalist journalism through the West African Pilot. We remember Ernest Ikoli and other pioneers who transformed newspapers into instruments of liberation. During the military era, the media became the conscience of the nation. The haunting headline, “Who Killed Dele Giwa?” refused to disappear from public memory because the press sustained the pressure. Dele Giwa became more than a victim; he became a symbol of resistance against tyranny.
The June 12 struggle equally revealed the enduring power of the media. Newspapers documented the annulment, the betrayals, the resistance and the tears of ordinary Nigerians. Journalists faced intimidation, arrests and exile, yet continued writing. Even the assassinations of political figures such as Marshall Harry generated national outrage because the press refused to let the stories die quietly.
Indeed, there is power in the pen.
That is why voices like Donu’s should not be attacked merely because they challenge political arrangements perceived as unfair. Rivers State belongs to all Rivers people, not to one clan, one local government area or one political dynasty.
Let us confront the reality honestly.
The Ikwerre ethnic nationality has produced governors in Rivers State consecutively for about sixteen years. Before now, the argument for continuity was often defended on grounds of political calculations, zoning complexities and party structures. But politics, like society, survives on balance. Once people begin to feel excluded from the sharing of political opportunities, resentment quietly begins to grow beneath the surface.
Rivers State is richly diverse. The Ogonis occupy four local government areas. The Ikwerres have four., The Kalabaris have 3.The Etche ethnic nationality has two. The Wakirike axis has two. Ahoada has two. Ibani has two. Then come the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni people, the Andonis, the Abuas and Oyigbo. Beyond population figures, these groups possess intellectual depth, economic relevance and enormous contributions to the state and national economy.
Some of these communities host the oil and gas resources sustaining Nigeria’s economy. Yet, politically, many increasingly feel like spectators watching power rotate within a restricted circle.
That perception is dangerous.
The tragedy of political superiority is that those enjoying it often fail to see the emotional damage accumulating elsewhere. Political exclusion does not always explode immediately. Sometimes, it matures slowly into distrust, anger and social fragmentation. Rivers State has enjoyed relative ethnic coexistence for decades because successive administrations attempted, at least symbolically, to maintain inclusion and accommodation. But once a political system begins to create the impression that leadership is an inherited entitlement of a particular bloc, suspicion naturally follows.
This is where many believe Nyesom Wike got it wrong.
Wike is undoubtedly one of the most influential politicians Rivers State has produced. His political energy, boldness and infrastructural footprints are undeniable. Even critics acknowledge his exceptional grasp of political organisation. But influence becomes dangerous when it gradually transforms into political absolutism. The belief that one individual alone must determine who governs a complex and diverse state is incompatible with democratic maturity.
Ironically, this is not fundamentally about whether Kingsley Chinda is qualified. By every standard, Chinda is experienced and politically exposed. As a former commissioner and long-serving member of the House of Representatives, he possesses administrative and legislative credentials. Personally, I have always seen him as calm, approachable and respectful. He is not one of those politicians intoxicated by unnecessary arrogance. He listens. He relates well. He carries himself with civility.
But democracy is not merely about competence; it is also about perception, balance and fairness.
That is the heart of the matter.
Many Rivers people are not protesting Chinda the individual; they are reacting to what his emergence symbolises politically. After sixteen years of uninterrupted governorship dominance from one ethnic extraction, many expected a deliberate effort toward broader inclusion. That expectation was not unreasonable.
Donu Kogbara captured that frustration bluntly when she remarked that perhaps it was not yet time for another Ikwerre man to occupy the Brick House immediately after years of uninterrupted control. Her statement resonated because many silently share the same sentiment but are afraid to speak openly.
The greatest danger in politics is surrounding oneself with people who only clap.
A leader who hears only praise gradually loses touch with reality. One wishes Wike had consulted more broadly before influencing such a politically sensitive direction. One wishes elders around him had spoken honestly instead of echoing whatever position appeared politically convenient. One wishes those benefiting from the current arrangement understood that temporary victories sometimes produce long-term instability.
More importantly, one wishes President Bola Tinubu had taken a deeper interest in the political undercurrents of Rivers State before appearing to align completely with one side of the crisis. The perception — whether accurate or not — that federal authority now protects only one political interest in Rivers State is fueling dangerous interpretations among the people.
Politics must never become warfare.
That is why many Rivers people still hope for genuine reconciliation between Wike and Siminalayi Fubara. Whatever disagreements exist between both men should not consume the peace of an entire state. Political godfatherism has repeatedly damaged Nigerian democracy because it often places personal loyalty above institutional stability.
Governor Fubara was politically nurtured by Wike. That fact is public knowledge. But political mentorship should not become political enslavement. At some point, governance must transcend personal control. Rivers people deserve peace more than prolonged political hostilities.
History teaches painful lessons about societies where political exclusion was ignored until it became explosive. Rivers State must not travel that path. Ethnic sensitivity in a multi-ethnic environment must be handled carefully, honestly and fairly. Leadership should heal divisions, not deepen them.
The irony remains painful. Rivers State possesses some of the brightest minds in Nigeria. It is home to seasoned technocrats, academics, businessmen, journalists and professionals from every ethnic nationality. No group should feel permanently confined to the background while another monopolises political dominance endlessly.
That is why this conversation matters.
Silencing people like Donu Kogbara will not erase the concerns. Attacking journalists will not eliminate the questions. The real solution lies in political introspection, fairness and broader inclusion. Democracy is strongest when every component feels represented within the larger structure.
As 2027 gradually approaches, Rivers State stands at a delicate crossroads. The atmosphere is already heavy with suspicion, silent anger and political calculations. The wise must speak now before emotions harden irreversibly.
After all, when the drummer beats only for one dancer in the village square for too long, others will eventually leave the arena — or worse, attempt to seize the drums themselves.
And history has shown repeatedly that when politics abandons justice, peace rarely survives for long.
On the Frontline With Boma is published by The Port Harcourt Telegraph Newspaper authored by the Managing Editor
Rivers Politics and the Burden of Ethnic Superiority: Wike’s Agenda, Donu Kogbara’s Courage
