Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Friday expressed gratitude to the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the party’s presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, for selecting him as the party’s vice-presidential candidate for 2023 presidential election.
Okowa addressing a mammoth crowd of PDP supporters at the party’s campaign in Ika South and Ika North East Local Government Areas on Friday, said that the ticket was a demonstration of the confidence the party and Atiku Abubakar had in his capabilities, noting that it was an ennobling responsibility.
The governor thanked the people for their support over the years, urging them and all Deltans to join in commending the party for the choice by voting massively for all its candidates in the 2023 general elections as they had always done.
At the carnival-like rally, the governor reiterated his call on Deltans to deliver no fewer than one million votes to the PDP in the elections.
Okowa declared: “since the old Bendel State till now, nobody from Delta has emerged Vice-President. 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 leadership of PDP and our Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, 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 in the state, Okowa said that the choice of Sheriff Oborevwori as candidate was divine, and urged Ika people and Deltans to support him.
The governorship candidate, Oborevwori, commended the people of Ika for their massive support, and assured that his administration’s MORE Agenda would develop all parts of the state equitably.
The PDP State Chairman, Chief Kingsley Esiso, said that Ika people were fortunate to have produced a governor and now vice-presidential candidate of the party. He urged them to vote 100 per cent for the PDP to justify the party’s choice of Okowa as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate.
The Director-General of the State’s Campaign Council, Chief Funkekeme Solomon, said that PDP built the country from 1999 to 2015, but regretted that APC had destroyed the country since it took over in 2015.
He assured the people that PDP would restore the glory of the country and reset it for greater height, 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 Kingsley Otuaro; Deputy Governorship Candidate, Chief Monday Onyeme, among others.