Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has insisted that with the enormity of the challenges facing the country, the Atiku-Okowa ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is the only platform to deliver Nigeria and place her on the path of sustainable progress.
Okowa who is the vice presidential candidate of the PDP said the country, at the moment, needed an experienced man with capacity in the shape of Atiku Abubakar to pull her out of the valley and raise it to higher heights of development.
The governor was speaking in Asaba during the inauguration of the Delta State PDP Campaign Council of which he is the chairman with the governorship candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori, as vice.
He acknowledged that other presidential candidates including Bola Tinubu of the APC and Mr. Peter Obi of Labour Party, are capable, adding however that they would be overwhelmed by the nation’s challenges.
“I have looked at all the candidates, they are capable only in a country that works. But what we have in Nigeria presently is a country that is not working.
“So you need that extra experience and capacity to steer back the ship of state from the valley which APC has taken us, and raise the country up.
“The Atiku-Okowa ticket is the only ticket that can deliver Nigeria. We are in a very difficult situation in this country, nobody should lie about it.
“Labour Party and APC will tell you that it is easy to fix this country, it is not easy, but working with all stakeholders particularly the private sector, we can recreate the country. Don’t allow anybody to deceive you, PDP is on a rescue mission.”
Okowa admitted that there was crisis within the party, which according to him, is a feature of a big political family, adding that the issues would be sorted out.
He thanked all aspirants on the party’s platform who lost out in the primaries, and appealed to them to close ranks and work with those who emerged as candidates to deliver the PDP at the general elections.
The governor charged party faithfuls to take the rescue mission message across board especially to voters within the age bracket of 18 and 35, noting that such voters would not fully understand the situation of the country, and thus be carried away by the euphoria of the moment.
Meanwhile, former governors James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan were absent, yesterday, as the party inaugurated its campaign council ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Senator James Manager who represents Delta South and former commissioner of Finance, David Edevbie were also absent.
State party chairman, Kingsley Esiso, who inaugurated the campaign council charged members to launch out to all units, wards and local government councils selling candidates for next year’s polls.
He said the inauguration was the beginning of the campaigns to reset Nigeria and rescue the country from the maladministration by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who is the vice presidential candidate of the PDP, is the chairman of the council, while Sheriff Oborevwori, the governorship candidate is vice chairman of the council.
Most of those absent at the event are also members of the committee.
It was however noticed that the committee is yet to name its Director General (DG).
Sources said the position was reserved for a nominee from former governor, Ibori, but that he was yet to nominate someone, a development that is considered not unconnected to his preferred gubernatorial candidate, Edevbie, having been unsuccessful to secure the position at the Supreme Court.
