Okafor Ofiebor /Port Harcourt
Millionaire-businessman, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, and kinsman to Tonye Dele Cole from the same Abonnema in Akuku-Toru local government area has declared for the governorship of Rivers State, debunking speculations he was no longer interested in the race to government house.
Dumo Lulu-Briggs who was part of the caucus meetings where the Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi and other party stakeholders endorsed Tonye Cole said it was “complete falsehood” that he had withdrawn his ambition saying for “the avoidance of doubt, I, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, am still in the race and fully prepared, ready, willing and able to seek the office of governor of Rivers State in 2019 under the APC.”
In a press statement he personally endorsed on Thursday night, Lulu-Briggs said that at no time did the leader of the party in Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, bar other aspirants from going ahead with the pursuit of their ambition but had “only expressed support for his preferred aspirant.”
Amaechi had last Thursday, in Lagos, disclosed his preference for another billionaire-businessman, Tonye Dele Cole, as the APC candidate for the Rivers State governorship election.
“The leader of the party, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi only expressed support for his preferred aspirant and has not “appointed” any governorship candidate because our party has its constitutional procedures and processes for deciding who flies the flag of the party in any election. I am committed to taking full opportunities of our party’s guidelines to achieve my aspiration.”
Lulu-Briggs urged Rivers people to discountenance the rumours of his purported withdrawal from the 2019 Rivers State governorship race, which he said were “unfounded”
Unlike Cole, Lulu-Briggs had contested for highest political position in Rivers State. He was one of the 16 Aspirants under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP who tried to contest against the incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike in 2015 but were edged out of race in controversial circumstances.
Read his press statement below
PRESS STATEMENT
My attention has been drawn to insinuations in some political circles within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that I, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs has conceded and withdrawn from the 2019 governorship race. I state emphatically and unequivocally that it is complete falsehood that I havewithdrawn from the governorship race.For the avoidance of doubt, I Dumo Lulu-Briggs, am still in the race and fully prepared, ready, willing and able to seek the office of governor of Rivers State in 2019 under the APC. My ambition was not spontaneous but borne out of long held vision spanning over a decade for the overall progress and development of Rivers State.
The leader of the party, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi only expressed support for his preferred aspirant and has not “appointed” any governorship candidate because our party has its constitutional procedures and processes for deciding who flies the flag of the party in any election. I am committed to taking full opportunities of our party’s guidelines to achieve my aspiration.I therefore call on Rivers people to discountenance these unfounded rumours about my purported withdrawal from the 2019 Rivers State governorship race.Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs September, 5, 2018
For the avoidance of doubt, I Dumo Lulu-Briggs, am still in the race and fully prepared, ready, willing and able to seek the office of governor of Rivers State in 2019 under the APC. My ambition was not spontaneous but borne out of long held vision spanning over a decade for the overall progress and development of Rivers State.
The leader of the party, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi only expressed support for his preferred aspirant and has not “appointed” any governorship candidate because our party has its constitutional procedures and processes for deciding who flies the flag of the party in any election.
I am committed to taking full opportunities of our party’s guidelines to achieve my aspiration.I therefore call on Rivers people to discountenance these unfounded rumours about my purported withdrawal from the 2019 Rivers State governorship race.
Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs September, 5, 2018