The Chairman, Anti Corruption and Integrity Forum, Comrade Prince Kpokpogri, has called on the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), not to glory in the victory of the Governor-elect of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who won his election on “self accomplished dream” but to worry over the dangling fate of the party under Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, in Delta State.
Prince Kpokpogri in an open letter to the PDP, said the party should bother with the “unveiling of the Southern Betrayal as it’s Vice Presidential candidate”, warning that the party has no foot on the ground ahead of the 2023 election.
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OPEN LETTER TO THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP)
PDP SHOULD NOT TAKE GLORY FOR THE OSUN GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION VICTORY; ADELEKE WON ON SELF RECOGNITION
…BOTHER MORE ON THE SOUTHERN BETRAYAL AND THE DANGLING FATE OF PDP IN DELTA STATE
Though the Osun State Governorship election has come and gone with a win for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over All Progressives Congress (APC); the former should not glory in the victory, for the personality involved, Senator Ademola Adeleke won on self recognition as a highly achieved individual with solid family background and name.
The dancing Senator now turned dancing Governor-elect is a son of a Senator, whose elder brother, Senator Isiaka Adeleke became the first civilian Governor of Osun State and later died as a Senator.
Senator Ademola Adeleke’s foray into politics began when he contested the Senatorial by-election to replace his late brother, after which he contested the Governorship which he won before INEC declared the election inconclusive. It was after the re-run that Oyetola emerged winner.
Adeleke has passed this road before as a strong and formidable political machine owing to his family name and the popularity of his nephew and singer, David Adeleke aka “Davido”.
I must advise the PDP not to take glory at all for the victory; it was a self accomplished dream by Senator Adeleke himself. The nephew, Davido equally used the social media to mobilize his fellow youths and he was also seen as credible and trusted personality. He once celebrated his birthday where he raised over six hundred thousand (600,000) dollars from friends and fans, which he later gave back to charity. Why won’t he win election for the uncle? Even if the dancing Senator had picked the ticket of any inconsequential political party, he would have still won the election.
The PDP should instead, bother about the stigma brought to its name by the unveiling of the Southern Betrayal as it’s Vice Presidential candidate. The fate of the party is still hanging in the balance as a result of the deceitful attitude of the Southern Betrayal; it should not rejoice over the Osun Governorship victory and forget to fight hard to redeem its image, if possible before the 2023 general elections.
Who says that social media cannot win election? The Adeleke’s scenario is a good example. Delta State is going to be another example of what the social media can do in teaching the Governor a good lesson. Already, the State is in total confusion and the drama is no longer funny.
The late popular and legendary novelist, Prof Chinua Achebe once said in his book that “when things fall apart, the centre cannot hold”. This best describes the present scenario in Delta State PDP where one man’s manipulative tendencies have plunged the party into political imbroglio, leaving the fate of the party and that of its gubernatorial candidate hanging in the balance.
The court cases that emanated from the party’s Governorship primary election is an eye opener. Sometimes you don’t eat your cake and still have it. It was obvious that the Governor made his party men, women and youths believed that with him everything is possible just as his nickname EKWUEME (one who says a thing and it comes to pass) implies. It is obvious to all today that no man is God. No mere mortal can take the place of God or play the role God in any guise without consequences.
We saw it coming, we analysed the situation and predicted consequences. We advised, shouted it and even brought it out to the public, yet they didn’t listen, instead, they called us unprintable names. They said we were trying to blackmail the Governor but he was smarter than that.
What can be more damaging than the name tag “Southern Betrayal”? It is pathetic to believe that a man who had enjoyed enormous grace from the very base of life to an enviable height could suddenly crash land like a cup of ice cream. Why should a man bring all he ever worth in name, image and reputation to total disrepute in an attempt to betray the people of Southern Nigeria.
Delta State is up for taking. Unfortunately, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has been used as the sacrificial lamb. We saw it coming but he was short-sighted because of the attractive nature of power which is inherent in anybody who is Governor of Delta State. Meanwhile, Governor Okowa busy was manipulating everybody in a bid to control the entire party structure in the State while scheming his way up to Abuja.
What audacity to have attempted to denigrate the political leader of Delta State, Chief James Ibori in his scheming game? How can you as a sitting Governor imposed your daughter as a candidate of PDP to represent your people in the State Assembly against their wishes, but allegedly attempted to cut short the ambition of Ibori’s daughter to represent her people in the House of Representatives?
Unfortunately, his immediate predecessor, His Excellency Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan could not survive the vicious agenda to exterminate all his predecessors and key party leaders from political relevance both at the State and national levels. Uduaghan’s daughter, as intelligent and accepted as she was by her people, lost her State Assembly primary election in a most disgraceful way. All thanks to the bitter incumbent Governor.
Today, the fate of PDP in Delta and by extension the country is dangling because of one man’s innate ambition. If the appeal against the judgement of the Federal High Court in the case of Olorogun David Edevbie versus Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori did not go as desired, that will be the end of PDP in Delta State.
Of course, a senior PDP leader and one of the aspirants in the gubernatorial primary election, Senator James Manager had revealed the PDP is dying. It is that bad; it can only take God to bring it back to life. Unfortunately, God does not dwell with lies.
Don’t forget that the animosity of 3 against 14 is still very much fresh in the memory of those who see that treacherous behaviour as an affront to the integrity of the PDP. Because of that, Governor Nyesom Wike till date has not decided on what to do about such a Brutus stabbing by a fellow South-South brother and colleague. It is obvious he will leave the party.
And when he leaves, he will surely leave with some Governors and majority of the Southern politicians who control a vast majority of the electorates across the Southern region of the country. It’s going to be a tsunami, courtesy of the perfidious political manipulations.
That brings me to the unnecessary uproar over the APC Muslim-Muslim Presidential Ticket. What is wrong with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is a Muslim picking a Northern Vice Presidential running mate, who is also a Muslim? The ticket shouldn’t be about religion but about competency to solve the myriads of problems bedeviling the nation, most importantly, insecurity.
Nigerians should stop promoting primordial sentiments with the Muslim-Muslim ticket. If Muslim-Christian ticket did not work, it is nobody’s fault; it is just how the polity is structured at this time. This is not to mean that I am supporting APC, but if the Muslim-Muslim Joint Presidential Ticket is what will give us the salvation we have been yearning for, so be it. If Nigerians believe that Senator Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima have the competency to fix Nigeria and solve her security and economic challenges, so be it.
Don’t also forget that we have had Christian Presidents and nothing significant came out of their governments. For example, Goodluck Jonathan was a President, yet the East-West Road could not be fixed for a number of years he held sway in office. Nigerians should stop crying wolves and pray for sincere, selfless and focused leaders to emerge in 2023.
In praying for leaders to emerge in 2023, we should pray for those who will unify the country, tackle the perennial security challenges, economic problems amongst others. However, people like the outgoing Governor of Delta State, who could not unify the PDP family in the State, cannot make bold to tell us that he joined the PDP Presidential ticket to unify Nigeria.
What is Atiku Abubakar and his Vice Presidential candidate coming into Presidency with? Does Atiku even have the moral latitude to criticise or interrogate the Muslim-Muslim Presidential Ticket of APC? Even though Delta State Governor betrayed his people from the South, can Atiku claim ignorance to the fact that a Northerner cannot finish as President in eight years, and another Northerner comes up to replace him. It is the turn of the South to produce the next President and so, whether Tinubu picks a Northern Muslim as a running mate or not, he is positively on course as a Southern Presidential candidate. When Deborah was killed by Northern Muslim youths, why didn’t Alhaji Atiku Abubakar criticise their actions? Why did he pull down his earlier post as soon as he received threat from the Northern youths? Such inconsistent character that cannot stand firm to defend the integrity of this nation cannot be trusted with the office of the President.
We wish to use this medium to remind Governor Okowa and political office holders in Delta State that we have mapped out a consistent update of how funds meant for the development of Delta State have been misappropriated and squandered. We are also aware that more are still going down the drain pipe of 2023 election funding both at the state and national levels. We shall be addressing these issues in subsequent advertorials in Vanguard, Nation and two other national dailies. We will expose all the dealings of Okowa administration in Delta State, and how the government was skewed to only empower and enrich the Ika folks at the expense of other sections of the State. We shall be listing names of major contractors handling above a billion naira worth of projects in the State and for the newly established three universities, the company directors, phone numbers and bank account details.
The major contracts of the State are awarded to Governor’s cronies from Owa. Those guys are stupendously rich, buying choice properties in different parts of Nigeria and abroad. We will make details of their names, the projects handled, funds made available to them, dates of registration of their companies with CAC, their net worth before this Government and how they have constantly breached the Delta State Public Procurement Law and Civil Service Rules. There will be no escape route for them, because apart from the 150-page petition we had already written to EFCC, another 200-page petition is in the offing, both to EFCC and the Presidency. We are making copies available to different Embassies and High Commissions, including the international offices of human rights commission and other anti corruption bodies. This round tripping of funds in connivance with renowned financial experts must stop.
Delta State is so rich and blessed, yet very poor and in serious debt. How did we get here? Are we going to fold our arms and allow such impunity and recklessness to continue unabated? This is the time to put the dubious dealings and individuals involved to check; it is a moment of reckoning. It is pleasing to note that these individuals have come to their dead end and there is no going back on punishing them for their sins against the vast majority of Deltans and the institution of government.
There is no better time to deal with them than now that they are failing on all political sides. We must save our economy from being plundered to the point of no remedy. A stitch in time saves nine!
Comrade Prince Kpokpogri,
Chairman, Anti Corruption and Integrity Forum,
Chairman, PKR Multi Service Nigeria Limited,
Publisher, Integrity Watchdog Magazine and,
Board Member, Int’l Human Rights Commission.
