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• Says with NNPP, they with fight PDP, APC in Delta State
• Admits that Posterity will not forgive them if they fail to Act Now

By Henry Umoru, ABUJA

A former chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Goodnews Agbi has joined the 2023 Delta State Gubernatorial race on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.

Speaking with Journalists yesterday in Abuja, Agbi who hails from Oyede, Isoko Local Government Area of Delta state vowed that with the new NNPP, they are prepared to fight the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC with a view to breaking the dynasty in the state. 

The aspirant who is a lecturer in the Department of Engineering, Delta State University, disclosed that  Anthony Alabi, his co-plaintiff in the celebrated criminal case against former Governor James Onanefe Ibori would serve as his deputy.

Agbi who vowed to dislodge the structure put in place by the Ibori political dynasty in Delta State since 1999,  alleged that the Delta had not witnessed any meaningful development or progress since the members of the Ibori political dynasty had been ruling the oil-rich state.

Recall that Dr Agbi who has been very active in Delta State politics since he joined in 1998, contested the governorship primaries of the defunct Grassroots Democratic Party, GDM, with Chief James Ibori who later became the Governor of Delta State as his only opponent. He also contested the PDP Governorship primaries in 2007, which were won by former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Agbi was the pioneer Deputy  Chairman of the National Youths Mobilization of PDP in 1998/ 1999, just as he was also a National Election Committee member of the PDP that conducted the primaries in Abia that returned former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu in  1998/ 1999. But he finally dumped the PDP for the APC in 2014.

Agbi said, “New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP has a national spread compared to some of the regional parties like the Social Democratic Party which is mainly in the South -West and the African Alliance which is in the East and another personalised party. 

“The essence of choosing the NNPP is that we have been in the field before where our fingers were burnt because of what we were doing for  Delta State then and for Nigeria but this time, we want to come out with something big.

“We want to come out and take on the oligarchy in Delta State. We want to challenge the status quo. The dynasty has been put in place since 1999 till now. Members of the same group have been handing over to each other and the state has not experienced any form of improvement. 

“Among all the states in the South-South, Delta State is the worst in terms of development. There is no legacy project. There is none you can point to as outstanding projects unlike other states in the region.

“We are the highest oil-producing state and yet, there is nothing to show for it. 

“Posterity will not forgive us if we fail to act now. That we fought Ibori when he was in office as governor is not the issue. People will ask us what we did to correct the situation.

“That is why the two of us put heads together and solicited funds from our friends who believe in our course of rescuing Delta from the clutches of the oligarchy. 

“We want to fight them with the NNPP. We know that both the PDP and the APC are entrenched but we will give them a good fight, a good run for their money.

“What matters is  credibility. People know us before and they know what we can do. We can do the unthinkable with the new Electoral Act money would play a lesser role in the whole thing. Sincere people will join us.”