By Julius Oweh

Last Saturday presidential and National Assembly elections have   proved beyond doubt the dominance of Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State and reassured the clan of the remaining doubting Thomases   converted into the fold of the PDP family ,at least in the state level. The party made a clean sweep of Delta North and Delta South senatorial districts as it clinched the senators for the two zones. Political heavyweights were dismantled and the greatest beneficiary of this political earthquake shall be no other than the state governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa. Even in Delta Central senatorial district, the stronghold of the opposition party, some House of Representatives got into the green chamber of the National Assembly using the platform of the PDP.

A variety of reasons have been advanced by political scientists and media guru for the strong showing of the PDP.   Three of them shall be mentioned here. The performances of governor Okowa, the acceptability of the party in every nook and cranny and the catchphrase of ‘power shift‘. And this was essentially the drift of the former governor of the state, Chief James Ibori during the PDP mega rally in Oghara. Ibori argued with political conviction on the need for Okowa to complete the eight years for Delta North in the name of equity and fairness.

These are the reasons given by Ibori for Okowa‘s re-election:   ‘We should allow the Anioma people to complete two terms, it is the turn of the Anioma people, don’t let them to deceive you, as you go into the field, be peaceful, we are peaceful people, sell your programmes to the people. Please, in the name of God, don’t come to Delta State to cause trouble; this is democracy, you tell the people what you will do, sell your programmes to the people. Anybody that is planning anything that is bad for our state, God will not allow it. The re-election of Governor Okowa is our challenge; I have no question in my mind that you (Governor Okowa) has done very well, I can say that without equivocation, you have done exceedingly well.     Okowa is competent, capable, and knowledgeable and have the capacity to govern the state for another four years; you (Governor Okowa) deserve another term, I am indeed very pleased with you, your achievements. As the head of this political family, I declare and decree that you have all it takes to lead this battle, for all the candidates of our party to win in the election, God will continue to guide you, you have humbled yourself, God will uplift you‘.

And the message of Okowa‘s performances was not lost on the Isoko people of Delta state as under the umbrella of Isoko Development Union led by High Chief Iduh Amadhe endorsed the governor for a second term. The IDU president general explained why the Isokos endorsed Okowa : ‘What is happening in Isoko has never been done for any man, Isoko people are not sycophants but, when we heard that you (Governor Okowa) are coming to Isoko nation for campaign rally, an emergency national conference was called for you; 19 traditional rulers are here, the president-generals of different kingdoms are here and whatever we have done today will be translated to all the villages in Isoko and It will be respected, you will get the votes of Isoko people.”

Gov. okowa

The governor who was literally swept up his feet by the gesture, thanked the Isokos for the confidence in him stressing that : ‘Thank you for the partnership which will make me to relate more with the Isoko nation; in the next four years, a lot more will be done for the Isoko nation because, the Isoko people truly deserve it. With the pronouncement of the traditional rulers, this is a total support, which will give me more votes than what you gave us in 2015.”

https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/okowa-popularity-is-base-on-performance-not-equity-onuesoke/

It would be recalled also that traditional rulers in Delta North senatorial district also endorsed Okowa for second term.    According to the royal fathers, they are so impressed with the performances of the governor that they could not keep sealed lips. In a meeting at the palace of the Obi of Owa, HRM Obi Emmanuel Efeizomor II, about 60 traditional rulers under the aegis of Delta North Traditional Rulers Forum passed a vote of confidence on the governor.

The traditional rulers in an address read by the Ogene of Ibedeni, HRM Jonathan Kanegede observed: ‘We are not surprised that your massive people oriented programmes are being recorded and appreciated by many through numerous awards and since you are not tired of seeking the people wellbeing and progress, we unequivocally pass a vote of confidence on you Governor Okowa and your administration. We the royal fathers, the sixty-three traditional rulers representing the various groups in Delta North, on behalf of our chiefs and the entire people are happy with your SMART AGENDA, the massive road construction across the state, Youth Agricultural Entrepreneur Programme, and many others too numerous to mention. We called on all Deltans to work towards his re-election‘.

Even the secondary schools teachers in the state are very much impressed with the performances of the governor in the educational sector and supportive of the second bid of Okowa. Speaking on behalf of secondary schools teachers recently, the chairman of   Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, Comrade Kenneth Okoh stated that all teachers were solidly behind him and will work round the clock to ensure the governor‘s victory.

Okoh rolled out the benefits of the Okowa administration:

The lips and tongues of unbiased, intelligent, objective and progressive Deltans have been incessantly busy with emission of the fact that Deltans have never had it so well. The voice of Okowa’s achievements has become so loud that you hear elements in the opposition saying “he worked very well but he used Paris refund” and my response is “ God will reward him with re-election for making the common man to feed on the eggs of Paris refund. His Excellency, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa performed so well in road construction that he earned himself the praise name ROAD MASTER. There is no local government in Delta State that cannot point at multiple road constructions going on or executed simultaneously. Come to Secondary schools in Delta State, as the State Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Secondary schools, I had the opportunity to travel round the three senatorial districts and I discovered that there has been no time that classrooms and administrative blocks so ‘’ magically’‘ grew up in school premises as during Okowa’s first tenure. Regular payments of salaries, prompt promotions, payment of promotion arrears has been restored.

Principals of Secondary Schools are happy running schools since Okowa restored regular payment of subventions to schools. Prior to this positive feat, principals have been running schools with their personal fund.

Okowa’s time is a period when every Deltans has a feel of dividends of governance in the administrative history of Delta State.

When I look at the man Okowa, I see in him a man who has a greater plan for Delta when he comes second tenure than this first tenure‘

As for the Delta State PDP campaign organization, the group driving the campaigns of   PDP in the state, they are very optimistic that given last Saturday election, the March 9 Governorship and House of Assembly elections shall be like eating a piece of cake. Dr Tonye Timi, a state legislator   and the chairman of the Publicity Committee of the State Campaigns Organization argued that Okowa is a striker and had scored many goals in the province of development.

He argued why Okowa election would be smooth sailing :‘For us as a party, the strength we derive is a strong connection to the people of Delta State and this has been proven over time through our Human Capital Development Agenda in the state as demonstrated by this present administration of Okowa. I am talking about job creation and human empowerment of which some of the programs include the Youth Agriculture Entrepreneurship Program (YAGEP), the Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Program (STEP) and so many others which are driven by the need to diversify the economy of Delta State and explore other potentials aside oil.

On these platforms, young people are trained to acquire skills in animal husbandry and crop production. The STEP program for instance is an entrepreneurial avenue where vibrant men and women are trained to own, manage their businesses and be employers of labour. These government programs have created more than 30,000 jobs and with every sense of pride, I dare to say that these are our strength. Talking about infrastructural developments, despite the fact that this government came at a time when the funds from the centre were very lean, we were able to produce much juice from the rock. Today, we have massive infrastructural development in roads construction evenly spread across the three senatorial districts in the state, linking towns and villages and this has earned the governor the nickname “ROAD MASTER”. This is because the people have seen the roads in their communities which have made their farms accessible and have also improved on their standard of living.   These are just a glimpse of his inexhaustible achievements.`   Nothing could be further from the truth and on March 9   Deltans   and PDP shall give practical ventilations to these sentiments.