Ambassador Blessing Fubara Senior, brother of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has formally declared his intention to contest the 2026 governorship election under the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), pledging a single four-year term if elected.
Key Highlights:
- Blessing Fubara Senior, brother of Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara, declared a 2026 governorship bid under the NDC.
- He pledged a single four-year term if elected, framing it as part of Rivers’ zoning arrangement.
- He described his campaign as a “restoration” effort to fix insecurity, lost investment, and political instability.
- He called for mass grassroots mobilisation across Rivers State ahead of the party primaries.
- He urged rivals to step down, insisting only popular support should determine the party’s candidate.
The declaration came ahead of the party’s primary election, where he positioned himself as a consensus “restoration” candidate, promising to stabilise what he described as a politically and economically distressed Rivers State.
Speaking at the event, he presented himself as a “ready, competent and energetic” aspirant, while accusing the state of suffering loss of investment, opportunities and public confidence.
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“We have lost opportunities. We have lost investments. We have lost our dignity as a people. We have lost our pride as Rivers people,” he said.
He further described the political atmosphere in the state as unstable and called for what he termed a “collective uprising” to reclaim political control.
“We are standing on a ground competent, reliable and reputable to restore the soul of Nigeria and restore the soul of Rivers State,” he said, while insisting that only popular mobilisation could alter the state’s current trajectory.
The aspirant also leaned heavily on the state’s zoning arrangement, insisting that Rivers South-East Senatorial District must be allowed to complete its supposed eight-year political cycle.
According to him, abandoning the arrangement would create what he called a “dangerous precedent” in the state’s political structure.
“We have decided to offer ourselves to you as a state. We might not challenge the financial capacity that they have, but we know that we have the people, so we are richer in capacity,” he added.
In a politically loaded appeal, he called on supporters across the 23 local government areas to mobilise ahead of the party primaries, claiming widespread grassroots backing.
“I’m calling on my 2 million fans across the 23 local governments of Rivers State… to come in mass and make a statement,” he said.
He also confirmed his pledge to serve only one term if elected, framing it as part of an agreement to preserve political rotation in the state.
“Therefore, I have vowed to do just a 4-year one-term tenure… after which we will support the next brother from the next senatorial district,” he stated.
In a striking political appeal, he urged other contenders—including what he described as his “elder brother” in the race—to withdraw in favour of what he called a people-driven “uprising” to take control of the state’s leadership structure.
