A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Executive Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Communications, Chief Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, JP, has dismissed negative insinuations making the rounds that governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, is not favourably disposed to power rotation in the state.
Barr Oghenesivbe, who set the records straight while speaking as a Special Guest at the “Bridge Parliament,” a Bridge Radio 98.7 FM Asaba flagship phone in programme, on Friday July 2, 2021, disclosed that the anger ragging over power rotation arrangement was caused by some individual members of the party, during the governorship elections in 2015.
According to him, the very essence of power rotation within PDP is to ensure that the three senatorial districts; Delta North, Delta Central and Delta South, have equal opportunity to govern the state, irrespective of population and geographical size or economic endowment.
He noted that majority of Deltans are very comfortable with the power shift thing, and that it was heartwarming to hear from His Royal Majesty, the Asagba of Asaba, and other royal fathers in the state, who recently reaffirmed their unalloyed support for the continuity and sustainability of the arrangement.
Okowa’s EAC, told listeners that in 2015, some prominent stakeholders within Delta PDP consciously and deliberately violated the arrangement by contesting for the office of Governor, when it was not the turn of their senatorial districts to do so under the Power Rotation Arrangement, PRA, and therefore subjected the process to a child’s play, and eventually made a caricature of the entire PRA.
“The beauty of power rotation is that It guarantees equity, peaceful coexistence and unity in the state, which is why majority of Deltans including royal fathers, are in support of the process, insisting that it must continue.
“However, justice, equity and fairness must be considered and used as the major yardstick in mending the obvious broken fences and at the same time clearly state mode of compliance and appropriate sanctions for violators.
“Those individual members of the party who knowingly, impliedly or expressly repudiated the arrangement in 2015, must not benefit from the arrangement in 2023, because they cannot eat their cake and have it. They never believed in power rotation and must be excluded from the PRA arrangement.
“Governor Okowa, to the best of my knowledge, is not against power rotation and will never be an obstacle in the scheme of things. In fact, it was alleged that the incumbent governor was a member of the ‘Equity Group,’ that pushed vehemently for power rotation within PDP in the state.
“And in my considered personal opinion, it appears that some major stakeholders in PDP Delta, are not happy with the way and manner the power rotation has been mismanaged, clearly devoid of expected compliance, equity, justice, fairness and good conscience.
“At the Governor’s last media parley, he did say that at the appropriate time the leaders of PDP in the state will have to meet and look at what is ‘fair, what is equity and what is justiceable’ as political actors and gladiators commences 2023 governorship politics.
“Therefore, it appears that there are some grey areas that requires attention of party leaders as far as power rotation is concerned, and they must of a necessity resolve those issues and agree on certain rules and regulations that will bind members, and agree on sanctions to be melted on violators, as subscribers to the arrangement.”
And on the exit of distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, from PDP, Oghenesivbe, said that the party will not in anyway miss him, pointing out that since Nwaoboshi joined the All Progressives Congress, APC, after his suspension from Delta PDP, no fewer than 3,000 members of his new party defected to PDP in Delta State, noting that his exit is now a huge blessing for PDP.
The EACGOV further disclosed that it was very difficult for the Senator to exit PDP for no just cause, and therefore resorted to unjustifiable character assassination and spurious allegations against governor Okowa, and the state government, knowing fully well that such anti party posture would attract some disciplinary actions from the party, which will conveniently create the opportunity for him to perfect his open/secret membership of the APC.
“Senator Nwaoboshi had to deploy certain logic to pull out of PDP, after over two years of open romance with APC and her leaders at the National Assembly and in Delta State.
“His unfounded allegations against the Governor and this administration were never supported with facts and empirical data, and therefore failed the test of objective and constructive criticism. He merely raised unnecessary alarm to prompt the party to pronounce disciplinary measures against him, so that it will afford him the needed opportunity to formally join APC, and it worked.
“Since his exit from PDP, it has been defection galore from APC to PDP in Delta State, pointing to show that majority of Delta APC members do not want to have anything to do with Senator Nwaoboshi.
“To exchange Nwaobishi with over 3,000 eligible voters who voluntarily defected from APC to PDP, is considered a good deal, in favour of the ruling party in Delta state” Oghenesivbe said.
