The Delta Political Monitors, DPM, a Group of eminent detribalised Deltans from the 25 local government areas of Delta State, has alleged that certain political elements in the state are deliberately out to heat the polity and cause confusion to distract the governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa from continuing with his good programme in the state.
The group in a communique at the end of its meeting at the weekend, said the reactions of some political groups, socio-cultural groups, certain eminent Deltans and the main opposition political party, the APC to the statement credited to the Governor on the issue of rotation of political power amongst the three Senatorial Districts in Delta State, were unfortunate and disturbing.
The group in the communique signed by three of its leaders, Hon Samuel Mariere, Chief Otimiyen Adams and Hon Daniel Goddey, stressed that Governor Okowa was being quoted out of context in respect of the contentious issue.
“Besides keenly following the reactions to the said statement, the Delta Political Monitors has been monitoring the Political temperature in the State pre and post the said statement and has come to the irresistible conclusion that certain political elements in the state are deliberately out to unnecessarily heat the polity and cause confusion in order to distract His Excellency from continuing with his good program in Delta State”.
“The Delta Political Monitors is sure-footed in her belief that the governor was quoted out of context in respect of the contentious issue of rotation of political power amongst the three senatorial districts of Delta State. It is obvious from the statement of His Excellency, that what he meant is that there was no time the political class either in the PDP and or the opposition parties in Delta State met to formally reach an agreement that political power should shift from one senatorial district to the other, rather at the end of the eight-year tenure of each Governor, the political class usually met to determine which senatorial district will take over on the basis of Justice, equity and fairness”.
“The Delta Political Monitors wish to state in categorical terms that His Excellency didn’t say political power will remain in one senatorial district and or that political power will be rotated on the basis of ethnicity. His emphasis in the said statement is that he was not God to determine who will be the next Governor of Delta State, meaning that he can’t as a person singlehandedly produce the next Governor”.
The political pressure group pointed out that the governor had further explained that leaders of the PDP will meet to take a decision in respect of which senatorial district to produce the next Governor, after robust consultations and conversations across the three senatorial districts, saying “each of the senatorial districts will be carried along in the determination of the district to produce the next Governor”.
The group said Okowa in his statement also emphasised that the decision to be taken by the leaders on which senatorial district to produce the next Governor, shall be based on justice, equity and fairness, stressing “what that meant is that in choosing which senatorial district to produce the next Governor shall not be determined by the whims and caprices of any individual or group of persons.
“The Delta Political Monitors appreciate the fact that His Excellency is a promise keeper hence he is fondly and widely referred to as “Ekwueme” and he is a man of strong integrity and honesty.”
The DPM advised all Deltans particularly the political class to be mindful of their utterances in the present circumstances in order to avoid creating unnecessary tension, acrimony and bitterness in the polity, even as they implored the people to give their maximum support to the Okowa’s led administration in the state.
