GOVERNOR of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday, expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for picking him as the vice presidential candidate, saying it was a demonstration of the confidence the party and Atiku had in his capabilities.
Addressing a mammoth crowd of PDP supporters at the party’s carnival-like campaigns in Ika South and Ika North East Local Councils, the governor commended the people for their support over the years, urging them and indeed all Deltans to join him in thanking the party for his emergence by voting massively for all its candidates in the forthcoming general elections, as they had always done.
Okowa reiterated his call on Deltans to deliver no fewer than one million votes to the party in the elections, recalling that since the old Bendel State till now, nobody from the current Delta State has emerged vice president, adding: “So, we are thankful and asking for your support, because I know that you will back me and my party to achieve the task of recovering Nigeria.
“By the special grace of God, you have always supported me throughout my political career and I have seen Ika people come out in great numbers in the past, but I have never seen this kind of crowd in our campaigns here.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank the PDP leadership and Atiku for finding me worthy to be the vice presidential candidate of our great party.
“I have challenged our people in Delta that as a state, we must cross the one million votes mark and as people of Ika nation, I challenge us to deliver minimum of 180,000 votes for the party.
“I urge you all to justify my selection by ensuring that all our votes in Ika nation will go to PDP and God will bless you as you continue to work hard for us to deliver in all the elections.”
On the governorship election, Okowa said the choice of Sheriff Oborevwori as candidate was divine, charging Ika people and Deltans to support him.
On his part, Oborevwori commended the Ika nation for their massive support, assuring that his ‘MORE Agenda’ would develop all parts of the state equitably.
State Chairman of the party, Chief Kingsley Esiso, said Ika people were fortunate to have produced a governor and now v ice presidential candidate of the party and urged them to vote 100 per cent for the PDP to justify its choice of Okowa as Atiku’s running mate.
Director General of the state’s Campaign Council, Chief Funkekeme Solomon, said PDP built the country from 1999 to 2015, but regretted that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has destroyed the country since it took over in 2015.
Solomon, however, assured the people that PDP would restore the glory of the country and reset it for greater heigh, and appealed to them to vote for the party.
At Boji-Boji Owa, eight House of Assembly candidates of other political parties in the state, led by Mr. Andrew Akawe of Accord Party, renounced their candidatures in favour of the candidacy of Mrs. Marilyn Okowa-Daramola of the PDP.
The rally was attended by wife of the governor, Dame Edith Okowa; Deputy Governor of the state, Mr Kingsley Otuaro; deputy governorship candidate, Chief Monday Onyeme and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Chief Ndudi Elumelu;
among others.
