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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Ahead of the 2023 governorship election in Delta State, the incumbent governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has warned those pursuing selfish interests to desist from it.
Okowa specifically urged politicians in his Delta north senatorial district (Anioma) not to be carried away with the promise of being made deputy governor to those who relegated the zone as politically immature in the past.
In a related development, Okowa praised the resolutions reached at the Southern Governors Forum’s meeting held in Asaba recently, saying they were for the good of the nation.
On the issue of the 2023 governorship, he said that in the next one month, the process of picking a successor that would govern the state fairly, equitably and justly would begin.
The governor spoke yesterday in Asaba while flagging off the distribution of empowerment items for the people of Aniocha/ Oshimili federal constituency sponsored by the Minority Leader of the House of Rep- resentatives, Ndudi Godwin Elumelu, who represents the area.
He particularly enjoined the leadership of his party, the People Democratic Party (PDP) to be cautious, adding that the people were looking up them to provide the needed direction
His words: “And for those of them jumping ship because of a little envelop, please let us caution them. I thank God that my brother, Elumelu invited 80 councillors from the four local governments of his constituency, and we are glad about that.
“But we also know that in this same state previously, it would just be about 56 councillors because some people just felt that as Del- ta North people, and particularly Aniocha/ Oshimili that we were not politically mature to have 20 councillors in each local government. Why would that be?
“And the same hands that orchestrated that, are the same people throwing envelopes at our people, and a few of them are jumping at such envelopes.
“Whosoever that is coming to rule this state must be ready to ensure that there is fair- ness, justice and equity in everything.
We want somebody who will come to Asaba and see it as his own, rather than feel that Asaba as headquarters is misplaced. It ought not to be,” he said.
The governor recalled in 2014 before the primaries for the 2015 election, eleven aspirants from the zone indicated interest to be governor, adding that none of them was will- ing to step down after several meetings.
“But we give glory to God that he made it possible. God has made it possible for us to occupy this position, and today we can say Delta Central has been there, Delta south has been, Delta North has been there. One story that has been told is that we are not inferior, and that somebody from Delta north has the right to vie for the topmost position in this state. That has been established by the special grace of God.”
He said that anyone casting aspersion on the resolutions of the Southern Governors Forum towards a better Nigeria did not mean well for the nation.
The governor remarked that restructuring, ban on open grazing and other issues raised by the governors had been subjects of agitations, aimed at pulling the country out of the present multiple challenges facing it.
