By Victor Lewis
Following the recent reported call by a former Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, for the Ijaw nation to adopt and vote for the PDP and its candidates, the Director-General of the Delta APC Campaign Council, Elder Godsday Orubebe, has countered that the Ijaws have not benefitted anything from the Okowa PDP-led administration in the past seven and half years to warrant such support.
Orubebe who is a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, also added that Bozimo has no locus or authority to speak for or on behalf of the Ijaw nation as to who to vote for in the 2023 election.
The APC’s DG who addressed a press conference in Warri today, said that, apart from the fact that Bozimo is always a supporter of any government in power in the state for his personal and family gains, the octogenarian is aware that in the past seven years, Okowa has shortchanged and denied the Ijaws of needed development, adding that the Ijaws have no reason to support his vice-presidential bid or that of his governorship stooge.
Orubebe said: “Thus, in my capacity as the Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council in Delta State, I make bold to say that the media report credited to Alaowei Broderick Bozimo is the height of hypocrisy and portrays the unpatriotic nature of a man at 83, who should be thinking of what legacies he would bequeath to the successive generations after he eventually answers the call of his Maker.
“If one may ask, what are the reasons that Bozimo has to tell Ijaw people to continue to work for PDP and adopt Okowa’s stooge as the preferred candidate of the Ijaw nation? Is it that Okowa and PDP have done so much for the people or because Bozimo is a Patron of the wicked and rudderless government of Okowa? No doubt, it is the second reason! Alaowei Broderick Bozimo is a friend to any government in power, especially at the state level, apparently because of the personal gains that such relationship attracts to him and members of his immediate family. Therefore, the gullible public should not be deceived by the antics of a man who does not have the interest of the Ijaw nation at heart.
“Take a look at Ijaw land from 1999 till date. One can hardly point at any meaningful development project carried out by the various PDP state governments except the Bomadi Bridge built by former Governor, Chief James Ibori. Ijaw land is more or less in squalor despite the fact that Ijawland, contributes immensely to the state treasury.”
Orubebe lamented that for nearly eight years, Gov. Okowa kept deceiving the Ijaw people, adding that he abandoned the construction of Ogbobagbene-Torugbene road project, Ogriagbene-Torugbene road project, the Anyakoromo bridge project, amongst others.
He also expressed disappointment over the brazen refusal of Gov. Okowa, to site one of the three new Universities which he set up in a day, in the Ijaw nation in spite of the enormous contributions to the revenue of the State.
“In eight years, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa could not finish the construction of Ogbobagbene- Torugbene- Ojobo road project, which he took from NDDC and deceived the people that he would complete it on record time.
“That of Ogriagbene- Torugbene has since been abandoned. For eight years, Okowa could not complete the Ayakoromo bridge started during the tenure of Emmanuel Uduaghan. No single critical road is done by Okowa in the Ijaw nation.
“Ifeanyi Okowa established three universities by fiat in a single day. He did not deem it fit to be equitable in their siting by giving one to Ijaw nation”, he added.
Orubebe chided the former Minister of Police Affairs, for refusing to speak and stand by the truth that the Ijaws and, indeed, the entire State are fed up with the deceitful Okowa and PDP-led government, noting the the Ijaws were not averse towards education, good roads, good health facilities and better life, as is being portrayed by Alaowei Broderick Bozimo.
“Instead of speaking truth to power, here, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo is leaking boots. Bozimo should ask himself if Ijaws don’t like going to school. He should ask himself if Ijaw don’t need hospitals, good road networks and other life enhancing infrastructures. No wonder he was roundly rejected to lead the INC as President when the Ijaw nation was looking for a leader.
“It’s inconceivable that Alaowei Broderick Bozimo is not conscious of the declining fortunes of the PDP, not only in Delta State but the entire country as a whole. Alaowei Broderick Bozimo has always patronised governments whether for good or for bad. No person who means well for our people would want to continue to support a party and a government that has given a leprous treatment and impoverished our people except he or she is deriving personal benefits from the unjust system. That is exactly the case of Bozimo”, he said.
The APC Campaign Council DG therefore urged the Ijaw nation and, indeed, patriotic Deltans, not to take Bozimo seriously, pointing out that he (Bozimo) has no right or authority to speak on behalf of the Ijaw nation, adding that he is in a frolic of his own and his co-PDP travellers.
“To the discernible public and my patriotic Deltans, Alaowei Broderick merely spoke on behalf of his Ijaw co-travellers in PDP as he has no locus and authority to make a blanket general statement on behalf of the highly respected Ijaw ethic nationality.
“Alaowei Broderick Bozimo is on his own and he can only represent himself and his PDP co-deceivers. He can’t offer the political direction to the Ijaw nation because the Ijaw nation didn’t confer him with such mandate. It’s certainly for self-preservation”, he noted.
“I am using this medium to call Ijaw patriots in the political arena to take advantage of the ballot box revolution that the 2023 elections present and vote out the PDP in order to put an end to its years of locust in Delta State. As a people, we must take our destiny in our hands and say NO to shenanigans parading themselves as leaders.
“Our people must seize the opportunity of a new lease of life promised by APC’s Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our Governorship Candidate in Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, to vote massively for APC in the February 25th and March 11th, 2023 general elections in order to be part of a new dawn which the new leadership of APC would usher in the country on May 29th, 2023”, Orubebe further said.
He also used the occasion to inform that Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa and the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, owe Deltans a duty convincingly explain what they have used the over N4 trillion that has accrued to the State for in the past seven and half years.
Those who accompanied Elder Orubebe at the briefing include Hon. Justice J. F. Daubry (rtd), member, APC Campaign Council, Barrister Bosin Ebikeme, Director, Contact and Mobilisation, Chief Mike Seikegba, Campaign Coordinator, Delta South Senatorial District, High Chief Michael johnny, Mr. Ekenwan Akwagbe, Deputy Director Media and Communications Strategy, amongst other party chieftains.
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