Imposition of Candidates: Call Otuaro to Order, Group Tells Okowa

Deputy Governor too civil to be involved in such shenanigan – Aide

They are the handwork of mischief makers

The Delta Ijaw Youths Movement for Political Advancement, DIYMPA, has called on the Executive Governor Delta State, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa to call his deputy to order over his high handedness in hand picking and the imposition of candidates in the forthcoming local council polls in the state.

The group made this call recently in a letter addressed to the governor which was made available to newsmen.

Part of the letter which was signed by John Dekawei, Eric Egenimiekumo and Ajosibe Justine Bebenimibo, President, Secretary General and Spokesperson respectively, stated that the Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro has imposed, and still imposing candidates on the people of Warri South West Local Government Area of  Delta State.

In their words “His Excellency, it is presently a glaring and painful fact that the Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro has imposed and made planned efforts to impose candidates on the Delta State people in the forth coming chairmanship and councillorship election in the state and most notably of this imposition is the councillorship election in ward 19 Okerenkoko in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State. The imposed candidate of the said ward 19 is not a member of PDP and had not supported or made any efforts in espousing the activities of the PDP. His Excellency, also the imposed candidate does not hold the expressed will of the people of ward 19 or the people of Delta State and has not done anything to support developmental strides of the state.” the group stated.

According to the group, a very notable example of this imposition is in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State which the group alleged that the imposed councillorship candidate in Ward 19 do not hold the expressed will of the people or have ever done anything that has supported the developmental strides of the state.

Giving details, John Dekawei noted that the party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that brought the government into power was set up to liberate the people from the stronghold of long years of dictatorship, revitalize the economy and return power to the people. They therefore, wondered why he should be the one indulging in such legality.

DIYMPA added that such act as exhibited definitely will tear the political structure of the party and cause the loss of the support of Delta people in any election that the party may participate in future if this is not addressed immediately.

In his words, Eric Egenimiekumo told Governor Okowa not to forget that the youths and Delta State people cast their votes and employed different resources to make his government a reality.

He further explained that what the group needs is socio-political justice and fairness.

They, therefore, call on the governor to use his good to  address this injustice by advising the Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro, to forthwith desist from this imposition of candidates in the forthcoming chairman and councillorship election in the state

DIYMPA finally promised to use all resources at their disposal to fight this injustice if his Excellency fails to right these wrongs done to them and the entire people of Delta State in this respect.

But reacting to the above allegations, one of the Deputy Governor Aide, who spoke to GbaramatuVoice on condition of anonymity stated that those were the imaginations of mischief makers.

He added that the Deputy Governor is too civil to be involved in such shenanigan.

He also explained that the Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro, is presently preoccupied with delivering democracy dividends to Deltans but will respond to this spurious allegations as a way of setting the records straight in no distant time.