According to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the Delta All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, it is time to free Delta State from sycophants and cheerleaders who, in the face of blatant evil being meted out to the state, continue to support Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and his allies in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Speaking at Gbokoda, in the Itsekiri waterways of Delta State, as part of the APC ward-to-ward campaign, Omo-Agege said: “ During the two hour by boat ride from Warri to Gbokoda, all that came through my mind is that this is an oil-bearing area. The bulk of the money we receive by way of 13 per cent oil derivation is a function of this local government, Warri North. But look at the area — is there any development that is commensurate with your contribution?

“In spite of this marginalisation, you still have some Itsekiri people clamouring that wherever Okowa goes they will go. Somebody is using your money to enslave you, and you are clapping and dancing for him? It is your contribution to the national economy that qualified Delta State to receive the 3.5 trillion naira that Okowa has collected for the past seven and a half years, and on top of that, Okowa and Sheriff have borrowed over N400 billion.

“Okowa didn’t consider any portion of the Itsekiri nation important enough to site a tertiary institution. Why are people like Michael Diden (Ejele) and Emmanuel Uduaghan not angry and dancing after Okowa?

“I am angry, and I know the Itsekiri people are angry. You have a chance to remedy this problem and make sure that everything that the PDP and Okowa represent is chased away on election day.

“I am certain that Okowa has not stepped a foot in Gbokoda and he has been governor for seven and a half years. Meanwhile, this is where the crude is produced. He won’t even come here to see the very deplorable conditions the people are living in.

“When I become governor, I will develop the Itsekiri nation. With the collaboration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, your son-in-law as president, we will reactivate the Koko, Burutu and Warri ports. I will make sure that you have the necessities of life.

“A two-hour boat ride to Warri, say, for a woman in labour, would be very risky for mother and child. We will build hospitals so you do not need a boat ride for two hours to get medical attention. Take it from me, when I become governor, you will get electricity so that our people can be happy and enjoy their lives again,” he pledged.

Also speaking, David Yinka Atie, the House of Assembly candidate of the APC for Warri North, said: “This has never happened before in the history of politics in our local government area, that we have a governorship candidate come to the ward level.”

Olley Endurance, the PRO of Gbokoda Community, and Prince Evans Omatsogunawa, an APC stalwart in the zone, all expressed hope that Senator Omo-Agege’s visit would usher in great things for the community.

“He is the first governorship candidate to come here. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was the last person to come here in 1979, and his visit brought many good things, and we are sure this epochal visit of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege will bring great things to us,” remarked Endurance.

Corroborating this, Prince Omatsogunawa, also an indigene of Gbokoda, said Awolowo was the first national figure to campaign in Gbokoda, and when he came, he identified with the people.

Itsekiri political leaders who received Omo-Agege included Chief Ayiri Emami, Prince Yemi Emiko, and Tuoyo Omatsuli.

Earlier on, the chairman of the APC in Warri North local government area, Omatseye Asabase, pledged to deliver all candidates of the party during the 2023 general elections.
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