From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State does not intend to dump the People Democratic Party (PDP) like some of his colleagues have done in the recent past, the state Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu said on Friday.
The membership strength of the PDP depleted nationwide following the defection of governors David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Ben Ayade of Cross River State and Ahmed Matawalle of Zamfara State to the All Progressive Congress (APC).
National Assembly members including Senator Peter Nwaoboshi representing Delta north, have also defected to the ruling party at the centre, all in preparations for the 2023 general electons.
But speaking on a live television programme monitored in Asaba by our correspondent, Aniagwu said his boss was not even contemplating the idea of defection in the foreseeable future.
“It’s like football transfer window, players move from one club to the other, but there are players that will not leave their clubs.
“Okowa is a player that will not leave his team. He is not just in PDP because he wants to be in PDP, but because he believes the PDP has an ideology that will serve the interest of the people,” he said.
Despite the defection of Sen. Nwaoboshi to the APC, the Commissioner said PDP was still very much strong in the state.
“We still have 25 local government chairmen and over 400 councillors and these are the people in the grassroots that will talk to the people and win their votes,” he pointed out.
On the contentious issue of zoning of the governorship in the state, Aniagwu said his boss was not oppose to power moving to Delta central, insisting that power rotation was on senatorial basis and not on ethnic basis.
He said those agitating for power shift on ethnic basis were not conversant with the political equation of Delta State.
According to Aniagwu, “the governor is not averse to power moving to the central, but he cannot just shut the Ijaws out from expressing their interest.
“Like you are aware, central has formed a group called DC-23 (Delta Central 23) they didn’t call it the Urhobo group because it’s not about an ethnic group.
“And this group has been going about pleading with other senatorial districts to allow them to have it.
“Anybody mentioning ethnic group is not clear on the political equation of the state. There are many ethnic groups in the state, so it was never an ethnic group thing.
“What we are saying, is that the PDP leaders will come together and pick a consensus from everyone that has indicated interest.
“At everything, there have been people from other senatorial districts contesting.
“For instance, remember that the man that came second to Governor Okowa in 2015 was from the central. In the same way, the present governor also contested in 2007 and was second to Uduaghan.”