Okowa Can’t Stop Obi From Sweeping Delta Despite Intimidations, Says POSN
* We Never Denied Labour Party Venue For Rally- Delta Govt
By Chuks Collins, Asaba
THE Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), an international political support group, has told the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, that nothing would stop the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, from defeating him and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state in next month’s presidential election.
The group said “despite all the intimidations from Okowa and his PDP minions, even 5000 Okowas cannot stop Obi and the LP from taking Delta State on February 25.”
POSN noted that Okowa, as the vice presidential candidate of the PDP, was expected to campaign on his achievements of eight years as governor of the oil-rich state, rather than preventing the LP and Obi from using public facility built with general public’s tax.
It, therefore, described the refusal of the Okowa-led state government to grant it access to public facilities in the state as an abuse of power, undemocratic and a most draconian act.
It added that the only achievements Okowa can show to the whole world was to further plunge the state into debts, despite huge federal allocation.
POSN, in a statement, said: “Okowa’s refusal to grant the Peter Obi Campaign train access to any public facility in Delta State for their campaign further exposes the PDP presidential ticket as an unlawful, despotic and dangerous ticket.
“It also betrays the morbid fear and trepidation for the LP’s Peter Obi’s overwhelming ever-growing grassroots support wherever he goes. Consequently, POSN urges Nigerians to do everything to avoid falling into the PDP dangerous entrapment again.
“Public facilities in Delta State are not owned by Okowa or the PDP, but as the name clearly implies, they are owned by the people. It is, therefore, an abuse of power and a most draconian act for the governor of a state to stop opposition political parties or any other lawful group/s from having access to such public facilities, especially, when these groups are willing to meet every requirement for them to use the facilities.”
It added: “Okowa is afraid of his own shadows. He knows that he can’t win Delta for the PDP even with the billions of naira of state funds he has allegedly pumped into that hamstrung ship and continues to pump in.
“The Labour Party has taken over Delta State and there is absolutely nothing 5000 Okowas can do about it. He can only cry and cling to the protection of the paraphernalia of his incumbent office for the few more months he will enjoy it.”
“Labour Party shall have their campaign rally in Delta State eventually, and the people, the long-suffering people of Delta, who have determined to enthrone good governance, will troop out en masse to show solidarity to the incoming President of Nigeria- Peter Obi.”
Recall that the state government, on Sunday, January 8, dismissed reports that it denied the party access to the venue of its presidential campaign rally in the state.
Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, in a statement in Asaba, said the party never applied officially for any venue and was denied, explaining that a representative of the party only spoke to him via telephone call yesterday morning, Sunday, January 8 and made demand to make use of the Arcade in Asaba.
Aniagwu stated that the state government immediately (within three minutes) reached out to the Oshimili South Local Council and secured a waiver of all formalities and made the venue available for the party to hold its presidential rally.
He said to further demonstrate the state’s democratic disposition and tolerance for opposition, it graciously waived the amount payable for the venue, urging the LP to carry on its rally peacefully in line with laid down rules and regulations.
At the Asaba rally on Monday, January 9, Obi blamed Nigeria’s leaders for plunging the country into abject poverty and hunger, with no jobs, no electricity, no water, no security and no petrol.
Obi, who lamented the current situation, said he has criss-crossed parties with chicken, umbrella and other logos without gains, but the party without structures that relies on father, mother and their children as its logo, which is the Labour Party, will do the needful and change the narrative.
He charged his supporters to use their PVC to teargas the enemies of Nigeria and change the narrative, saying: “Datti and I have chosen to renew Nigeria. We will unite this country and make it work. We will move the country from consumption to production. No more strike in universities again.
“Police will become your friend, no more harassment. Why is Warri Refinery and Ports not working? They will work again. Let nobody tell you ‘it is my turn,’ it is the turn of Nigerians to takeover through Labour Party with their PVCs.”
His running mate, Yusuf Datti, said losers of next month’s presidential election were already known, because they usually play up of the politics of structure and money, service delivery.
Datti stated that instead for the losers to admit defeat, they keep campaigning about the economy and security they don’t know about for 24 years, adding: “Once we win, we will stop the unwarranted killings across the country. We will stop their stealing and make the economy run optimally.
“We are here to sing a song of freedom. A new Nigeria is possible. A new Nigeria is coming. Enough is enough of 24 years of nothingness. A Nigeria without fear, that is working, that we can sleep with our two eyes close, that we can go to the market and buy goods and commodities without tears.”
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