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From Ben Dunno, Warri
Indications that opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta state, would give the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a tough fight in 2023 general elections emerged weekend, as the party reaffirmed Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, as its flag-bearer for the South Senatorial district contest.
The candidate who was the sole Senatorial aspirant of the party, polled a total of 285 votes to emerge the flag bearer during the delegates affirmation election held last Saturday at the Oleh Civic Centre, Oleh Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The election which was massively attended by the party’s ad-,hoc delegates from the Senatorial district was peacefully and orderly conducted in presence of other stakeholders and party leaders from across the various wards that made up the district.
Officials of the electoral umpires, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the representatives of the Civil Society groups were also also present at the primary election as witnesses to the process of its conduct.
Chairman of the electoral panel, Sir John Ebireri, who declared the results, gave a total number of delegates as 360, adding that Hon. Joel-Onowakpo polled 285 votes with 75 invalid votes.
Speaking to newsmen moments after his declaration, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas thanked the leadership of the party and the people of Delta South Senatorial District for making him the party’s senatorial flag bearer.
He called on the people Delta South Senatorial District to be ready to put their hands together to make sure they deliver him, adding that there wouldn’t have been a better time for Deltans to actualise the change in governance they craved other than now.
Responding to the issue of what he intend to do differently if elected into the National Assembly, Joel-Onowakpo, said;
“There will be marked differences in the way legislative duties will be done in the National Assembly as soon as i steps into the red Chambers.“
“I am someone with wide experience in governance, I am someone with experience in both private and public service and I will bring in all these experiences to bare in the National Assembly together with my other colleagues,”
The Delta South Senatorial District candidate noted that if elected into office he was going to work together with his colleagues to ensure that the issue of primary health care services would be a top most priority.
“The primary health care services needs to be addressed because we have come to realize that the thing that killed Nigerians and take them out of the country are little things – high blood pressure, malaria and the rest of them”.
“So along with other of my colleagues, if voted into power, we will be able to manage those problems and see that those ailments are tackled at the root.”
“Another thing I want to do together with my colleagues at the National Assembly if voted into power is that we will ensure that there are sustainable ways to assist the state government to reduce poverty in their environment.”
“The greatest thing that can happen to any man is poverty and once there is poverty this can lead to poverty of the mind and once there is poverty of the mind there is nothing you can do to correct the human race.
That needs to be addressed in a sustainable way”.
“The current President is doing so well to reduce it, but we need to find a sustainable way of doing it so that we will know that it’s established like every other thing.”
Reacting to the question of factions in Delta APC, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo said, “There are are no factions in APC. I want to say this today. The APC we have today is far better than the APC we had in 2018.
“Today APC is more united more than ever. The APC we have today is poised to win elections and it is hungry for power and success. So if anybody is telling you today that we are not united, if you had not asked me today in public, I would say let it be like that so that we will surprise them.
“Today those that were disagreeing in Delta have collapsed their structures to work together as one united family. We are very united and we are going to win this election come 2023 by God’s grace”, he concluded.
