As politicians and other significant players ramp up their campaigns 30 days before the general election, some PDP chieftains in Delta State have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
At a gathering on Sunday, Senator Ovie-Omo-Agege, the APC candidate for governor in the state and vice president of the Senate, welcomed the defectors, who included former top government officials, members of the National Assembly, the former speaker, and members of the state House of Assembly.
Omo-Agege promised them inclusion in the overall plan of things during the event held at St. George’s College in Obinombia in the state’s Ukwani Local Government area, but he also urged them to join other APC members in the ongoing vigorous campaigns.
They described the event as the first phase of defections of main stakeholders in the Delta PDP.
The defectors included Honourable Mercy Almonai Isei (ex-Commissioner and three-time former Member, House of Representatives; Chief Judith Enamuotor – Member BOT, PDP and former Commissioner; Honourable Daniel Reyenieju (three-time member, House of Representatives; Honourable Monday Igbuya (Immediate past Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly); Honourable Olisa Imegwu (ex-Speaker, DTHA and former Member, House of Representatives), Honourable Timi Tonye (ex-Commissioner and former Member, DTHA: Honourable Evans Iwurie (ex-Commissioner and former DTHA Member; Honourable Faith Majemite – immediate past Chairman, Ethiope East LGA; Mr Andy Osavwota (ex-Executive Secretary, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) and former Special Adviser to Governor Okowa, Dr Karo Ilolo (ex-Commissioner for Urban Renewal as well as Youth Development and Chief Pius Ovbije, who is a former Commissioner in DESOPADEC.
Omo-Agege said the major task before them was to ensure that the presidential candidate of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, as well as himself and other candidates of APC at all levels secured maximum votes to win their elections.
Describing Delta as among the richest states in the country, he claimed it was bleeding due to what he called the absence of due process and diligence in government, but declared he had no plan to probe the current state administration if he is elected governor because part of his priorities would be guarantee even development and distribution of projects among the three senatorial districts in the state.
The deputy president of the Senate emphasised the need for a governance order that guarantees delivery of the real benefits of democracy to the people, lamenting the failure of the government to pay the N30, 000 national minimum wage to civil servants, as well as pension and gratuity to pensioners in the state.
The defectors, who were under the aegis of Delta Unity Group (DUG), in separate speeches, pledged to work assiduously with other APC faithful to deliver maximum votes that would culminate into APC success at every level of the election.
According to them, they decided to join Delta APC to foster accountability and transparency in governance; equity, fairness and justice across the board to herald a new dawn.
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