Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, of Delta State has given a matching order to the Isoko south chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), to floor its opponents, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Constituency 1 bye-election scheduled for Saturday September 11th 2021.
The Governor who was flanked by Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi, leading governorship aspirant for 2023, gubernatorial poll, gave the directive on Wednesday September 8th 2021 during the ground finale of the party’s campaign rally for Oleh Wards 1 and 2 held at Isoko Central School (I.C.S), Oleh, the administrative headquarters of Isoko south local government area of the State.
Addressing party supporters, Okowa called for peace and unity, especially between Isoko north and south Councils, sayiy “For the purpose of this election and after, there is the need for unity. I don’t believe that a divided people can progress as a united people. Whenever I come to Isoko land, I always speak of peace.
“If only those of us who are here vote, we will win but we will like to win landslide. So go and tell your brothers and sisters so that after Saturday, the other party will not be able to speak. We need to mobilize those other people that are not here so that they can come and vote”, charging them to defend their votes.
On the issue of importing strangers to disrupt and vote during the election, a concern asserted by the Campaign DG, Constantine Ikpokpo, the governor said: “it might be true that they want to bring some people but no amount of people they want to bring that will overpower the youths in the communities, that is not possible. Unless the youths are lazy and I know that Isoko youths are not lazy.
“As we did the one in Isoko north, people were afraid. They made so much noise but when the results came, they discovered that they were not on ground. In Isoko north, PDP scored 29, 000 and they got only 2, 000. That is the kind of results that I want to see.
“Even if we didn’t get up to 29, 000, let us work hard to get 20, 000 votes, then we will be happy that we won. When the other people will be getting between 1000 and 2000, and we score something like 20, 000, then we know that we have asked them to short up their mouths, urging them to use the remaining days ahead before Saturday to work harder.
On the power challenge bedeviling the council, the governor disclosed that plans are already on top gear to remedy the situation, noting that the Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Jonathan Okodiko, has outline a quick solution to rectify the power problem, “and I told him that we are going to go ahead to do that as quickly as possible”.
He called on the youths to defend the votes, “Youths please mobilize in large numbers and help to defend the votes of our women, youths and elders and I know that it shall be well on Saturday, I will look forward to hearing the results”.
He reaffirmed the stand of the oarty to award N3 million for the ward that would have the highest number of votes and N2 million for the ward that would come out second position.
“The ward with the highest number of votes out of the five wards, will be given N3 million and the ward that comes second with the second highest votes will get N2 million. We are going to look at the vote differences, not that you scored 4000 and the opposition scored 3500 but when you have 3000 and the opposition got 500, that shows good victory. The person that has good difference in a vote is the really winner of the election. So, make sure you work hard so that the opposition does not score much”.
Speaking further, Okowa, cautioned: “I plead with you, brothers and sisters do have misunderstanding but they will remove obstacles and use one hand to work. When everybody uses one hand to work, everything works out for good. Because God will bless the people. Isoko people are already a blessed people, the best Christian music I have heard are from Isoko nation. Please, let us stop fighting”.
He appreciated leaders of Isoko land for sheathing their swords and allowing peace to take its place in the party, stating, “I want that unity and that love to reign in Isoko land.
“The followers of Hon. Kenneth Ogba, we will not abandoned them and they know that we have already started taking some actions and we will take some more actions”, he assured.
Earlier, the Director General of the campaign, Constantine Ikpokpo, assured the governor that the party would come out victorious in the election.
Meanwhile, a former PDP councilor, Hon. Jonathan Egbe, who sojourn to the APC, has led over 150 supporters back to the PDP.
