Ahead of Saturday’s (July 13) local government election in Delta State, Gov Sheriff Oborevwori has predicted victory for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship and councilorship candidates.
The governor, however, lambasted the Labour Party candidate for the 2023 governorship election in the state for cooking up allegations of rigging when the election is yet to hold.
Oborewovori, who gave the prediction at the grand finale and mega rally of the party held in Asaba on Wednesday, commended the party’s candidates for following in his footsteps by campaigning from community to community, unit to unit, and ward to ward.
According to him, the mega rally has afforded him the opportunity to campaign for the party’s candidates in Asaba, and he thanked the party’s founding fathers for their continuous support.
Taking a swipe at a former governorship candidate in the state for going to a live television programme to allege that the election would be rigged, Rt. Hon. Oborewovori said:
“It was unfortunate that those who could not win their polling units in an election where they were candidates could allege rigging in an election that was yet to be conducted.
“I was watching Arise Television yesterday, and the Labour Party candidate for the 2023 governorship election in Delta State, who couldn’t secure up to 50,000 votes in the last governorship election, is already cooking up allegations of rigging in the Saturday local government council elections.
“A man who lost in his polling unit in the general election went to Arise Television to allege rigging, but to the best of my knowledge, the electoral umpire has assured us that modalities have been put in place for the election to be free and fair.
“You all voted for me in a free and fair contest, so, as you leave here today, use tomorrow, which is the last day for the campaigns to do a road show, to tell the people to come out on Saturday with their Permanent Voters Card, PVC, to vote for all our party’s candidates.
“Don’t assume that they will write any result, because any result that is not genuine, whether for the chairman or councillor, will not be accepted,” the governor said.
He thanked the chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Udu Local Government for decamping to the PDP, asserting, “This is good for democracy; if you assess your opponent and you know that you cannot beat him or her, don’t contest; support your opponent in the true spirit of democracy.
“We are doing well in the construction of roads, bridges, and flyovers across the state, so Deltans are aware that we mean well as a government, and as we go to the polls on Saturday, there should be no form of violence, no fighting; just go there and cast your vote.”
He commended former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for joining in the campaigns at the ward and local government in his area and pledged to continue the sustainable development of the state in line with his MORE Agenda.
Speaking at the rally, the Deputy Governor of the State, Sir Monday Onyeme, expressed optimism about a landslide victory for the party candidates across the state.
He charged the party faithful to turn out en masse with their voter cards on Saturday to deliver all PDP candidates for the continuation of infrastructural and human capital development across the state.
Also speaking at the rally, the immediate past Governor of the State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, said that the PDP was adequately prepared for the July 13 elections, having campaigned throughout the 25 local governments and in all the wards in the state.
Okowa, who expressed satisfaction with the level of progress made in the state, said that the opposition was not prepared for the election and urged the party faithful to remain united as one political family, telling them to be wary of the antics of the opposition in the state.
In his remarks, the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Kingsley Esiso, said the party was celebrating ahead of the elections, believing that it had gone around the entire state for campaigns.
He said there was only one political party in the state and urged the people to continue to support the party in its quest for the advancement of the state.
Also at the rally, former prominent members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the state defected to the ruling PDP and pledged to contribute their quota to the growth of the party and the state.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, a former member of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Benjamin Okiemute Essien, assured Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of victory in Isoko in subsequent elections, saying, “I am a political bulldozer in Isoko” and pledged to contribute his quota to the growth and development of the state.
The rally featured goodwill messages from the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor; Hon. Nicholas Mutu of the House of Representatives; Chief Nkem Okwuofu; Senior Political Adviser to the Governor, Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo; and Senator James Manager.
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