As Special Assistant to Secretary to the Government (SASG) of ·We Dared, Creditably!Rivers State in the early 1980s, I was one of the foot soldiers of Governor Melford Okilo in his bid for the ticket of National Party of Nigeria (NPN) towards the 1987 presidential race. In the North-South zoning arrangement of NPN, the presidency was billed for the south following the anticipated completion of eight years by Alhaji Shehu Shagari. It was speculated that Shagari would favour Okilo who worked harmoniously with him under the Prime Minister of Nigeria during the First Republic, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa. In a survivalist strategy, NPN Rivers State prepared National Vice Chairman South, Chief Ranami Abah, as the alternate wannabe in the presidential bid, which was christened “Project RR”. Conveniently, RR provided an effective decoy: it created the impression of having to do with Rt Honourable Rossbury R. “RR” Briggs, the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly while it actually meant Ribadu Road, which was the seat of power in Lagos. Sadly, that dream was aborted by the military coup of December 30, 1983, which birthed the Buhari/Idiagbon military regime.
Informed by the above experience and consistent study of the Nigerian political firmament and the mindset of the politicians over the years,  I advised my friend, Governor Peter Odili, not to vie for the presidency in 2007. I based that opinion on the conviction that, given the prevailing primordial sentiments and geopolitical realities of Nigeria, it would be highly objectionable and therefore improbable for the North to support another southerner to occupy Aso Rock at the heels of Obasanjo’s eight years.  Assertively, I added that even the position of Vice President (VP) would be highly unlikely for him due to the fact that, given the vested interest of Europe and America in the oil and gas of Niger Delta vis-a-vis the volatility of the region, the West would be favourably disposed to a VP that speaks the language of the militants. I also referred to the statement by Governor DSP Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State thus: “the VP position is for a blue-blooded Niger Deltan”, pointing out that the inference of “blue blooded Niger Deltan” is Ijaw.
Furthering on the unsolicited advice, I opined that he should run for Senate and angle for Senate Presidency or take ambassadorial appointment and cool off overseas for sometime. Unfortunately, that well-meant advice was construed as not supporting the presidential bid of my friend. Eventually, my heart bled profusely and, in my characteristic softness, I shed tears as I watched the scene at Eagle Square on television during PDP primaries on Saturday, December 16, 2006. I prayed fervently that God should give Peter the strength to deal with the unnerving and highly emotional situation. Thank God, the “rock” essence of the name, Peter, manifested and he survived the ordeal. Commenting on that episode, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, offered that “all serious contenders vying for the PDP ticket were hounded out of the way or convinced to withdraw…Peter Odili was the most prepared of the lot”. Writing in Vanguard Newspaper on December 19, 2006, columnist Pini Jason “wonder[ed] if, in all honesty, President  Obasanjo and his cronies would describe what transpired at Eagle Square [that day] as a credible convention and primary election”.
The columnist furthered that “the national convention, which produced Umar Yar’Adua as the presidential flag bearer, would go down in history as the most disgraceful charade of all times”. PM News held that 24 hours to the National Convention, Governors Donald Duke of Cross River State and Ahmed Makarfi of Kaduna State withdrew from the race on the instructions of Obasanjo. These moves were informed by the awareness that the convention may just be a mere formality. The party leadership had conceded the post to Governor Umar Yar’Adua of Katsina State whose elder brother, General Shehu Yar’Adua was Obasanjo’s deputy during the military dispensation of 1976–1979. Till date, political pundits and social critics maintain that if the primaries had been conducted fair and square, Peter Odili would have conveniently clinched the coveted crown. Alluding to the treachery in politics, a man of God in Port Harcourt, referred to PDP as Papa Deceive Pikin. Now, you can say anything about Peter Odili but you cannot accuse him of not having the guts to try. He dared, creditably.
During the 2023 presidential primaries of PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC), two sons of Rivers State were simmering hot in pursuit of the tickets; Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike in PDP and Rt Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in APC. By happenstance, if both Wike and Amaechi had clenched the tickets of PDP and APC, respectively, it would have been “Head, we win; tail, we win” for Rivers State baring a political revolution at the polls. Rivers State would have been at the centerstage of global attention. The point being made here is that both sons of River State dared, creditably. Yes, they lost but the truth remains that it was Rivers State that lost, not Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and Chibuike RotimiAmaechi. It is said that the greatest failure is failure to try. Therefore, you can accuse Peter Odili, Nyesom Wike and Chibuike Amaechi of whatever suits your fancy but you can not accuse them of failure to try. Try, they did and they acquitted themselves creditably. If PDP had provided a level playing field on December 16,  2006,  Odili would have coasted home with the ticket.
If Wike’s political associate and friend had not succumbed to primordial sentiments of religion and ethnicity, he might have shared northern votes with Atiku thereby giving Wike the needed edge to clench the PDP ticket. Like Odili and Wike, Amaechi put in so much in his bid. Having built a University of Transportation in Daura, taken a traditional title from there and vigorously attempted to rationalise the irrationality of constructing a railroad to a foreign land while no two states or cities in the Niger Delta are connected by rail, Amaechi seemed the anointed one.  In my congenital optimism, I would say that these three worthy sons of the Niger Delta have taken turns laying a formidable foundation from which Niger Deltans, especially Rivers State politicians, can draw psychological and political steam and lessons towards eventually breaking the glass ceiling of presidency. The point remains that we did not fail to try; we dared and stayed focused till the end. We may not have taken the trophy but we were the hottest contenders in the three cases. Our ascendency to the exalted office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will not be an accident.
A censorious reading of the literature of Judeo-Christian theology informs that God (whoever or whatever He, She, They or It may be) regretted some actions; this means acknowledging mistakes. Therefore, who is man not to make mistakes? To His Excellencies Peter Odili, Nyesom Wike and Chibuike Amaechi, I salute your courage for making that weighty political statement for and on behalf of us all from Rivers State. They can take the presidency  from us but they cannot take away the spirit to try and the fact that we dared and that we acquitted ourselves creditably in the process. We hold tenaciously to the fact that in daring, we spoke eloquently and volubly of our indisputable stake-holding in the Nigerian enterprise.

By:  Jason Osai

Osai, is a Professor of Development Studies Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.