Okowa’s second tenure and doomsday commentators
There have been several panicky and uninformed reports by certain journalist and commentators like Fejiro Oliver and Secret Reporters, following the recently concluded Edo and Ondo states governorship elections, in which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came an impressive second, even against all odds; and it is as if the world has come to an end for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.
For a writer and commentator, like Fejiro Oliver in particular, who drops names like Hillary Ibegbulam, Governor Okowa’s Principal Secretary, as well as Dr. Kingsley Emu, Delta State Commissioner for Economic Planning amongst others, in virtually all his articles regularly and with disturbing, if not disrespectful familiarity and equally, claims to love Governor Okowa and has pledged his loyalty to the Delta State Governor in his several articles, one wonders if such out- pouring of filial concern and well meaning advise on the social media by Fejiro Oliver is not even more damaging than the efforts of the opposition in Delta State.
It is important to state categorically at this juncture that no one is grudging his near obsessive effort to always invoke his vaunted relationship with Governor Okowa and his close associates and aides for anybody who cares to read too much into those personal ego-tripping, but considering the way and manner Fejiro Oliver continues to harp on those issues that paint Governor Okowa in bad light without even mentioning the good works and outstanding achievements of the Governor in the last two years his relationship and honesty about helping Governor Okowa succeed is questionable, to say the least.
Politics and elections, just like any other contest that involves interests and competition, are about winning and losing and even the most popular candidates can sometimes be undone by a combination of factors, no matter how best they have planned for an election and how well they have mobilised public opinion.
To set the records straight, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, as a true party faithful and a leader in the Peoples Democratic Party, did everything within his legitimate powers and in consideration of the welfare of Deltans and Delta State, to morally support the efforts of the PDP to achieve victory in both the Ondo and Edo states governorship elections, just as the All Progressives Congress, (APC), governors in the zone did in both elections, to ensure that their candidates were victorious.
Every sensible and discerning journalist, political analysts and even those who participated in both elections would realise that the odds which the PDP faced in both Edo and Ondo states, had little or nothing to do with the governance profile or performance of the incumbent governors, but were contrived and perfected in a devious ploy by the APC with the full support, complicity and culpability of the Federal Government and the various agencies that supervised the elections.
The Ondo State scenario was even more intriguing and glaring where even as the key parties were embroiled in major internal political imbroglio, the dubious intentions against the PDP were further exacerbated when, after securing a well deserved legal victory to produce the proper and certified candidate just 24 hours to election day, the electoral umpire, relying on a flimsy constitutional provision and the electoral act, deliberately refused to grant the PDP more time to campaign and consolidate its structure and yet Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), still came out an impressive second in the polls.
Suffice it to say, however, that both the political situation in Ondo and Edo states are quite different from what obtains in Delta State today, on several grounds and in view of a number of calculations which are quite incontrovertible, especially in defining His Excellency, Governor Okowa’s political situation and of course the argument for a deserved second term, which he is entitled to both constitutionally and indeed against the backdrop of his sterling and enduring achievements in all sectors, even in the face of the harsh economic recession facing the country and the state since he assumed office on May 29, 2015.
For one, both Governors Adams Oshiomhole and Olusegun Mimiko had already completed their mandatory second tenures and the succession battles in both the major political parties in the two states had thrown up several conflicting interests that eventually impacted on the final outcome of the nomenclature on the political landscape in terms of personnel and agenda. Governor Okowa of course has no such worries. He is already firmly on the saddle and will comprehensively win the PDP governorship primary for the 2019 election and subsequently the general election.
He is also loved and beloved by the Peoples Democratic Party and the matter of factionalization, which reared its ugly head to disrupt the PDP campaign in Ondo state, has been finally laid to rest by the Supreme Court and any other legal action against his emergence would only be a waste of time and resources.
Again, it is a clear and unequivocal fact that the PDP is fully on ground and is the Party to beat in Delta State and this was made manifestly clear with the recently concluded and hugely successful PDP Executive familiarization tour of all the 25 LGAs in the state, led by the indefatigable state Chairman, Barr. Kingsley Esiso, where the Party leadership was received by mammoth crowds of Party faithful and Deltans everywhere we went, in solidarity and a clear display that the PDP is the only Party on ground while the opposition parties are mere newspaper and social media tigers.
In terms of Governorship performance, it is almost impossible to find any governor in any Nigerian state who, if faced with the nature of social, ethnic, demographic and existential interests and influences, such as Delta State has, would have performed so solidly and indeed with unflinching commitment and dedication to doing things properly, as Governor Okowa has done, especially against the backdrop of the strangulating economic recession, the heightened activities of militancy and oil facilities vandalization, especially in Delta State and indeed the harsh financial realities in the country today.
Anybody who has travelled across the country in recent times and encountered ordinary Nigerians will quickly realize that the economic crunch which Deltans are going through is the same everywhere and nobody is exempted or spared from the deliberate suffering and hardship which the Buhari administration has imposed on Nigerians since May 29, 2015. In fact, if you are a civil servant in Delta State, you will be regarded as a lucky Nigerian because Governor Okowa is arguably one of a list of very few governors in Nigeria, who is actually paying workers’ salaries regularly in the last two years, with or without bailout from the Federal Government.
In addition to paying workers’ salaries, the Okowa administration is creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the state through the Job creation office, which has so far generated over 70, 000 direct and indirect jobs for Delta youths, provided Micro-credit facilities for women, traders and small businesses, delivered equipment and processing facilities to all cadres of farmers and micro industrialists and set in a motion, a well structured private sector driven agrarian initiative, which would eventually revive moribund farm settlements, open up new agro-based establishments and ultimately give agriculture its top priority in a dwindling oil based economy.
The Okowa administration has also tackled infrastructural development headlong, but with a dedicated and well structured agenda, backed by legislation to ensure that every area that requires infrastructural attention is captured and addressed, from the capital territory development agency, through urban renewal directorate and the direct labour agency, as well as the statutory intervention of the Works department and the various activities of specific Ministries, Agencies, Parastatals and departments, in the performance of their budgeted and oversight functions.
What many commentators, journalists and even critics, who expect achievements in one day, have failed to either realize or accept, is the fact that what the Okowa administration is doing is to provide a solid foundation and platform for the proper development of all sectors of the socio/economic strata. The revamping of key critical sectors like Commerce and industries, Water resources, Transportation, Lands and Housing, the Environment, Health and Education, as well as the introduction of a new and contemporary approach to ensure citizen participation in the actualization of greater efficiency in service delivery, are all the hallmarks of a governance vision that puts people first and thinks of the future.
It is absolutely unfair, simplistic and sadly ignorant, for any commentator or journalist, who prides himself as operating in the corridors of power and hobnobbing with politicians, to select isolated instances and proceed to use such to judge any administration, in just under two years, as Fejiro Oliver has done with the Okowa administration, especially where there are very visible and tangible achievements which are verifiable.
It is even more disturbing that all those journalists and commentators, who shamelessly worked against the PDP and eventually ensured that the mis-governance of the Buhari administration, which has brought nothing but suffering stagnation, darkness and hardship upon Nigerians in the last two years, are the ones who are now pontificating and prophesying over Okowa’s second tenure. Such commentators should go and hide their heads in shame over what they have brought upon Nigerians and Nigeria, instead of making noise on social media.
Osuoza,
Publicity Secretary, PDP, Delta State
