The newly elected gubernatorial candidate of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) in Rivers State, Hon. Goodluck Diigbo, says he has the magic wand to turn around what he called “12 years of grumbling by Rivers people”, if he is elected as governor of the state, come April this year.

Diigbo stated this while delivering his acceptance speech after being adopted as the consensus HDP gubernatorial candidate at the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt last Friday.

The Rivers HDP gubernatorial flag bearer expressed dismay that despite its resources, Rivers State has not utilized enough of its federal allocations and internally generated revenues.

Diigbo, a one-time Editor of Radio Rivers said “Rivers State is an oil rich state and cannot afford to have majority of her people living in abject poverty”. Consequently, he said the development needs bold step to put the state on the path of economic reconstruction and progress.

He said he would initiate strategies for equitable distribution of wealth by adopting a bottom-up culture of development that would involve the traditional rulers and members of the rural communities.

According to him, the strategy would facilitate direct participation of people in policy making and implementation processes as well as setting their priorities in terms of development.

In what appears to be his agenda, Diigbo promised to decentralise the location of the ministries of the state to local government areas with only the sensitive ones like that of finance, Justice and Information left in Port Harcourt. The move, he explained would bring about massive development in all parts of the state even as it would decongest the urban centres, especially Port Harcourt.

The Ogoni-born politician did not hide his determination and commitment towards the creation of an Ogoni state out of the present Rivers State, arguing that Rivers State is due for an additional state.

He pledged to give more recognition to Chieftaincy stools with condition that traditional rulers should in their traditional domain to enable them handle security challenges as they may arise.

On the party’s principles and values, Diigbo said he would keep the hope of the party alive, but solicited the support of members in making the party achieve its political dream for the state.

He also charged all HDP men and women to participate en mass in the current voters registration exercise, for according to him, voters card is an instrument for HDP members to vote their candidates to power.

Kin Banigo/Grace Nwaimo