Hon Daniel Reyenieju is a former member of the House of Representatives ( Warri federal constituency, Delta State, from 2007-2019), Reyenieju in this interview speaks on reasons why Deltans will not vote for PDP again. Excerpt

You prophesied that Deltans will punish Okowa and the PDP by voting against them in the election. The party lost the presidential and some other national assembly seats, how does this augur for the governorship and State Assembly polls?

One does not need a crystal ball to predict the current electoral realities in Delta State as manifestly demonstrated on the 25th of February.

The variables were and are still there given Governor Arthur Okowa’s poor performance in governance, betraying the governors of the Southern part of the Country that jointly (including Okowa) agreed that the Southern part of Nigeria should produce the successor to President Buhari, blind arrogance, lawlessness, opinionatedness, and greed. Governor Okowa no doubt epitomized all these indices of retrogression and negativities; and Deltans being a collective of rational, enlightened, and conscious people will never allow him to go scot-free without telling him that he has outlived his usefulness and has committed unpardonable sins against the land and its people.

This they did on the 25th of February, and will further express their anger and bitterness against Governor Arthur Okowa on the 11th of March by ensuring that his protegee does not succeed him.

The debt burden he incurred in Delta State arising from his mad desire to become the vice-presidential candidate to Alhaji Abubakar Atiku is the only legacy he will leave behind given the fact that he will leave the state worse than he met it. For the forthcoming gubernatorial election including the one for state assembly, I am certain that Chief Ovie Omo-Agege remain the choice for the electorates and in the same vein, they will massively vote for the candidates of the All Progressive (APC) for the Delta State House of Assembly.

What’s your message for Deltans ahead of March 11?

As I have said, Deltans as a collective remains one of the most articulate, conscious, and rational groups in Nigeria who knows where their interest lies. They know that Gov. Arthur Okowa will invariably exit Government House, Asaba leaving the state in an utterly messy situation including being burdened by Okowa’s orchestrated huge debt, and with no information on how the borrowed monies were utilized. This partly explains Gov. Okowa’s desperation to ensure the enthronement of a crony, irrespective of capacity; such that even out of government, he will still majorly be in charge and ensuring coverup.

Electorates in Delta State are fully aware of the such evil machination of ultra-self-serving dimensions. This partly inform why Deltans are desperately eager to have Ovie Omo-Agege as the next governor of Delta State.

What does the victory of Asiwaju Tinubu mean for the country?

For us in Delta State, Asiwaju Tinubu is an in-law. Asiwaju being an experienced and fearless politician will frontally confront the myriad of socioeconomic problems he will inherit partly arising from the global economic meltdown largely occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. He has the requisite international reach that will be deployed to the advantage of Nigeria and Nigerians.

What advice would you offer to your party?

For my party, even though the coast is clear to enable us cruse majestically to victory, nothing should be taken for granted. We must collectively work hard to achieve this destined victory. I use this opportunity to appeal to all other political parties to collaborate with the APC for us to collectively dislodge from Government House Asaba, all that Gov. Okowa represents and ensure that Chief Ovie Omo-Agege becomes the next governor of the state. He is endowed with all that is required for the task; both at the levels of the cerebral and cognate experiences.

What are the projects/policies that you want the incoming government to focus on for the development of the Niger Delta?

As you know, governance in Nigeria is based on federal arrangements whereby the respective states maintain quasi-autonomy in relation to the federal government. For Delta State, the first project/policy should ensure that pensioners/retirees should get what is due to them on exiting government services and their monthly stipends must be regular; contrary to the heartless and dehumanizing policies and actions of the present administration in Delta State. Also of equal importance is the need to skill and re-skilling our youths for self-engagements, providing a conducive and enabling environment for investors. At the federal level, the security of lives and properties must be given primary and serious consideration.

Does the outcome of the elections so far justify the decision you took, along with some Members of the DUG, to quit the PDP?

Well, only time will tell. This is more so that Gov. Arthur Okowa has successfully destroyed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State. The fact that he could not even secure majority votes for his party in Delta State, even as a vice presidential candidate perfectly demonstrates how unpopular he is at present. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will by now be regretting his choice of His Excellency, Dr. Arthur Okowa as his running mate