The rivalry between Governor Sim Fubara and Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike snowballed into the festive season as both leaders engaged in a conspicuous gesture of goodwill during Yuletide: distributing bags of rice to the residents of Rivers State.
Amidst the backdrop of a long-standing political feud, customised rice bags embellished with the faces of both prominent political figures flooded Port Harcourt and its surrounding areas.
Governor Wike reportedly allocated 2,000 bags of rice to each local government area, while Governor Fubara opted for a more targeted approach, distributing 100 bags per ward.
Many stakeholder groups, including political factions, youth associations, market unions, non-indigenous communities, and landlord associations, have all been beneficiaries of these politically-branded rice offerings.
The social media landscape has been abuzz with commentary, with some users cynically questioning the motive behind the distribution and even the quality of the rice itself.
Investigations, however, revealed that the rice in the customised bags met quality standards and elicited no complaints from the recipients.
Commenting on the impasse and issues that came up, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 election in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, while speaking on a popular radio station, Super 93.3 FM, Port Harcourt, faulted the sharing process.
Abe, who had just announced his return to the All Progressives Congress, advised Governor Fubara, “Let me criticise Governor Siminalayi Funara. He sent rice; that rice should go beyond the PDP. It should not be for PDP alone. Give PDP, give APC, give SDP, and give everybody.”
