Ann-Kio Briggs Accuses PDP of Betraying Rivers People

Member of the Rivers Elders Forum, Ann-Kio Briggs, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of betraying the trust of the people of Rivers State and Nigerians at large. She said the party’s failure to act decisively during prolonged political turmoil in the state amounted to neglect of its loyal supporters.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Briggs lamented that despite the unwavering loyalty of Rivers people to the PDP since 1999, the party failed to rise to the occasion when the state needed strong leadership. She noted that this inaction not only weakened the party’s influence but also worsened the damage caused by prolonged political division.

“I definitely feel, as a stakeholder and elder, let down by the PDP political party because, since 1999, we have always voted, including me, for the PDP. If they had stepped in and done what they should have done from the beginning, not just in Rivers State but as a political party so prominent in the Niger Delta, the PDP would not find itself where it is today,” she said.

PDP’s Negligence and Political Fallout

According to Briggs, internal divisions and power struggles within the PDP created a vacuum that deepened the state’s political crisis. She argued that the party’s reluctance to resolve conflicts early left Rivers residents bearing the consequences of instability that could have been avoided with responsible intervention.

The elder stateswoman further stressed that PDP’s inability to assert its authority has weakened its moral standing in the Niger Delta, a region where it once commanded strong influence. For Briggs, the party not only disappointed the people but also exposed itself to greater political vulnerability.

Tinubu’s Role and the Lesson for the People

While Governor Siminalayi Fubara publicly expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his intervention in brokering peace in Rivers, Briggs distanced herself from such sentiments. She made it clear that not every Rivers citizen shares the governor’s view.

“I am not as happy or grateful to the APC party as the governor is; he is the politician, and I am not,” she stated, pointing out that both the APC and PDP contributed to deepening the crisis.

Briggs concluded that the most profound lesson lies not with the politicians but with the electorate. She urged Rivers people to recognize the power of their votes and hold political parties accountable. “I think the biggest lesson has been learned by the people of Rivers State, the electorate, to know that we have rights that are much bigger and more profound than the rights the politicians believe they have. They won’t be where they are without the people of Rivers State,” she added.