As the saying goes, a great democracy has got to be progressive or it will soon cease to be great or a democracy.
This statement came through as hundreds of youths in Delta State, unanimously rejected the presidential and Vice presidential candidates of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyi Okowa, ahead of the presidential election.
The youths equally rejected that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shetima’s Muslim-Muslim Presidential and Vice-President candidacy, viewing it as a misnomer.
According to them, it was disastrous to handover the country to another Muslim and northerner after president Muhammadu Buhari, another Muslim Fulani.
Chairman of the group, Comrade Lawrence Igho and others on Monday August 15th 2022, during a meeting with the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi, FNIM, said they worked for PDP and APC during elections but were dumped.
The group under the platform of Okada Riders Association which covers Jeremi Junction, in Ughelli south, National, in Ughelli north, parts of Udu local government area and Kiagbodo, in Burutu local government areas, met in Oginibo, Ughelli south local government area of the state.
The group who rejected the candidates of the PDP and APC, accused them of clandestine plans of destroying the gentleman agreement to rotate power between the north and south.
They said the Atiku-Okowa, Tinubu-Shetima tickets were never an option for the south.
They called on the north, east and their southern brothers and sisters to reject the tickets in its entirety and give their votes to the presidential candidate of SDP, Prince Adebayo Adewole, from Ondo State, who represents the interest of the south.
The youths affirmed that a social movement that only moves people is merely a revolt but a movement that changes both people and institutions is a revolution.
Some members of the group who were loyalists of the ruling PDP and the opposition APC, torn their membership cards and picked the membership card of SDP ahead of the presidential and governorship elections come 2023.
They regretted that for many years, they placed their lives on the line for both parties but could not boast of any development, projects and human capital development in their areas and lives.
The group in a unanimous voice adopted Olorogun Gbagi, as their consensus candidate and pledged their total support for his gubernatorial ambition.
They said they saw a different person in Gbagi, as against rumours been spread by those who are afraid of his massive choice and acceptance for Deltans.
No doubt, the Social Democratic Party, has taken the entire State over as thousands of people, organizations, youth body, women groups and the Church refused to be left behind in the social movement with traditional rulers directing their subjects to go and work for Olorogun Gbagi’s emergence as governor in 2023.
