From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State on Wednesday described as sacrilegeous comments credited to Senator Peter Nwaoboshi on the performance of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in the past six years.
Nwaoboshi who represents Delta north senatorial district (Anioma) where Okowa hails from, had stated that former governors James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan performed better than the incumbent even in Asaba, the state capital which is part of Delta north.
The PDP senator’s comment is coming as the political disagreement between the two leaders gets messier ostensibly as a result of the 2023 general electons.
Reacting through a statement by the publicity secretary of the PDP, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza said the party was taken aback that Nwaoboshi could make such comments after benefitting from the goodwill of the governor to get re-elected as senator in 2019.
Osuoza stated that attempts by the senator to compare the performance of Ibori, Uduaghan and Okowa was “an egocentric desperation to put a wedge in the spirit of camaraderie that exists in the party and among its leadership.”
He said both Ibori and Uduaghan performed excellent well during their reign as governors, adding that Okowa was equally addressing the challenges of the time, excellently too, to the admiration of Deltans.
Highlighting the various achievements of Okowa in Asaba, Osuoza said it was surprising “that Nwaoboshi, who won his elections under that political goodwill enjoyed by Governor Okowa should turn around to engage in sophistry to ask ‘What has the Anioma governor done for Asaba?'”
“For us in the PDP, we see Nwaoboshi’s tirade against high-flying PDP’s Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as a sacrilege by the Anioma representative in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly.
“As a party, we note that the senator has kept sealed lips even when the Anioma and the whole of Delta faced the Fulani herders’ threats and challenges of insecurity.
“Not a word from him in support of the resolve of Southern Governors to ban open grazing or a work to give succour to Anioma and Deltans.
“No. Nwaoboshi denied PDP and the people of Anioma a people-oriented representation in projecting and conveying their position to the APC-led Federal Government. He was mute, looked the other way at a time his people needed his intervention,” he added.