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Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has spoken out on his choice of who to succeed him as Governor come 2023, stressing it should be somebody who will come to Asaba and see the State capital as his home.
Governor Okowa made this while speaking at the empowerment of constituents of Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency by their representative and Minority Leader of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, in Asaba.
Okowa stated that his administration had been fair in the implementation of policies and programmes across the state, and advocated for a governor that would carry everyone along in the scheme of things.
The Governor sued for calm, and cautioned politicians against heating up the polity, saying the collective interest of the people should be placed above self, irrespective of ambitions.
“We are politicians and politics will have to be played. I can see that a lot has been on in our dear state, especially the scramble on who will replace Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa come 2023.
“Unfortunately, some were not even patient. They started their campaigns in the first three months of my second term in office.
“I want to charge our leaders and people to be cautious because politics is such that if you don’t read it rightly, you will directly throw your people into fire.
“I am not all-knowing, but at the appropriate time, leaders must be ready to sit down for us to do a proper analysis politically, before we take decisions so that we will not lead our people into darkness.
“I want to caution our leaders who are jumping the ship because of the very little thing that has been provided for them. It is not about self, it is going to be about the people.
“I am the governor of the state and I appreciate it. I believe in equity and will not shy away from the fact that I am from Delta North Senatorial District.
“By the grace of God, in our approach to governance, we have been fair in what we do. Shine your eyes so that people will not come to lure you with N500,000 and N1,000,000 and you sell the conscience of your people and you lure them into fire.
“I believe in equity; It has shown that we are not inferior in Delta North. Please let us stay cautious, especially, the leaders.
“Who ever is coming to rule this state, by the grace of God, must be somebody who is ready to ensure that there is fairness, equity and justice.
“We want somebody who will come to Asaba and see Asaba as his home and not somebody who will come and feel that Asaba as headquarters is misplaced.
“So, I urge our people that this is the time to stay together; this is the time to think alike and I want to reassure you that in the next one month, we will start the politics,” Okowa said.
TNG reports Okowa’s comment is coming after six notable sons of the Urhobo ethnic nationality recently declared their intentions to contest the governorship seat of Delta State come 2023 under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The six aspirants are Rt. Hon. Ovie Agas, immediate past SSG, Delta State, Olorogun David Edevbie, Chief of Staff, Government House, Hon. James Augoye, Commissioner for Works, Delta State, Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, Special Adviser to the Governor, Chief Kenneth Okpara, Former Commissioner for Finance, Dr Abel Esievo, Former Auditor-General, Local Government.
The six of them made their intentions to contest the governorship seat known to the leadership of the Delta Central 2023 political pressure group, christened DC-23.
Speaking at the group’s Thursday meeting meant to unveil the National Executives and members of the Board of Trustees, Chief Amori, National Chairman-Elect of DC-23, disclosed that the executive of the DC-23 would be officially inaugurated on Saturday, May 22, 2021, at PTI Conference Centre beginning at ten in the morning.
The group according to him will visit Urhobo traditional rulers and the leadership of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) for proper briefing before it will kick start moves for the actualisation of the Delta Central Governorship come 2023.
For his part, former Minister of Information, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, urged members of the group to continue to appeal to political heavyweights in other senatorial districts to see reasons with DC-23 on why the next governor should come from Delta Central.