By Kenneth Ehigiator
The Democratic Peoples Party, DPP,candidate in the re-run gubernatorial election in Delta State, Chief Great Ogboru, and his deputy, Chief Okenmor Tilije, have met with Anioma National Council, ANC, seeking the group’s support to actualise their ambition.

This is coming after the DPP guber hopeful visited the Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Chike Edozien, to seek his royal blessings and make promises to address all the wrongs in the state, if voted into power.

The meeting, weekend, attracted such influential Anioma indigenes as John Edozien, a former Deputy Governor of the defunct Bendel State and a respected former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of National Planning Chief, Terry Otuya President of Oganihu Anioma, Joe Obuseh, a former Director General of the State Security Service, SSS, among others.

Addressing the gathering, Ogboru said he will work to ensure credible, free and fair elections in Delta State and ensure unity and harmony in the state, a move he said will make Deltans see themselves as one family and de-emphasize tribal sentiments that divide them.

On the critical issue of power shift to Delta North, Ogboru said he believed in power shift, adding that for all Deltans to have a sense of belonging and for governments to achieve cohesion, there was need for power to shift from one part of Delta State to the other.

For this reason, Ogboru said he had to choose a deputy, Fidelis Tilije, from Delta North, adding that  he will hand over power to Delta North as long as the candidate was popular and respected by people of Delta North and Deltans in general.

At the Asagba’s Palace, Ogboru said his mission was to effect positive change in Delta State and unite all Deltans through equal treatment of its indigenes.  He promised to address issues of infrastructure, youth employment, health and development strategy for all the local government areas in the state.

He pledged to make Asaba a model state capital through provision of necessary infrastructure, reiterating his opposition to the huge sum of money spent on the state’s airport project so far.

“I have nothing against the airport initiative. Wouldn’t I like to fly down to Asaba here, as governor, instead of landing at Benin and driving down here? I like the idea.

“But what I hate and which I condemn totally is a situation where the airport is used as a conduit to siphon money that belongs to the good people of Delta State. Now they are telling us that they need another N10 million to deal with some issues of topography. That is unbelievable.

“So what they are saying is that the government did not carry out some investigation or research on the site before starting the construction? That is ridiculous and the parties to this fraud should better start confessing now and tell Deltans the truth.

“We will not encourage criminality. We will pay due attention to the airport, we will give Deltans even a better airport but it will not be at that bloated cost,” he said.

Earlier in his remark, he royal father, Prof. Edozien, told Ogboru and his entourage  in clear language that his vision for Delta State was commendable and hope-inspiring.

“I pray God, therefore, to help you realize the object of your visit to my palace, and I pray that you will not stumble in your quest to realize your dreams,” said the monarch.

The Asagba, through one of his chiefs, read out some of the expectations of the people of Asaba for Ogboru’s consideration if he eventually became the governor of Delta State.