The Delta State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has hailed the victory of Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa at the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Asaba, the State capital, as an expected and well deserved affirmation of the desires of Deltans to place their trust and confidence in Governor Okowa and the PDP during the March 9 governorship election in the State.
Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, State Publicity Secretary, Delta State PDP, made this disclosure in a press statement issued after the tribunal declared Senator Ifeanyi Okowa victorious in the March 9 governorship polls in the State and further called on the petitioner, Chief Great Ogboru of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to stop wasting resources that can better be channelled to impacting positively on the lives of the people in his constituency, instead of selfishly pursuing a personal, vaunting ambition to satisfy his bloated ego, that has sadly become a periodic distraction over the last 16 years.
“The Delta State PDP is quite elated with the reaffirmation of the victory of His Excellency, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the Executive Governor of Delta State, as the winner of the March 9, 2019 Delta State governorship election, by the Election petitions tribunal, sitting in Asaba, the State capital.
We were not particularly surprised by this outcome and had been fully expectant of the judicial triumph, given the very clear and incontrovertible fact that we campaigned vigorously and comprehensively across the entire stretch of Delta State and ensured that our message to Deltans was issues-based and concentrated on how to consolidate on the excellent achievements of our Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Ekwueme of the universe, after a first term of outstanding accomplishments, in virtually every sector of our economy and in our collective existence as a united, peaceful one Delta.
The Tribunal victory speaks for itself and we must commend our judiciary for delivering a sound, well articulated and factual ruling which addressed all the fundamental issues in the petition, rather than the fudged, emotional, propaganda tainted judgement the APC and Chief Ogboru were demanding, with all manner of veiled, intimidating and actual threats.
The judgement was fair, transparent, painstaking and a demonstration of judicial erudition. The burden of the petitioners to prove their allegations was squarely on their shoulders and this is a fact and point of law that has never shifted and which they failed to prove with convincing evidence. The election was conducted substantially in compliance with the electoral Act, according to the Tribunal.
Of course, we expect the APC and their candidate to start crying wolf and bellyaching all over the place, in their usual spurious huffing and puffing about their displeasure with the judgement, but let us quickly assure them now, that we do not wish to and will not join issues with them, except at the appropriate legal platforms, if they opt to embrace that unproductive channel.
However, in the spirit of one Delta we hereby call on Chief Great Ogboru to sensibly ignore those charging him to appeal the tribunal judgement as even he knows deep down in his heart that neither he nor his party did not do enough to even present evidences to support the challenge they were putting up against their resounding defeat in the March 9, Governorship election. The truth of the matter, as validated by the Tribunal, is that elections are won on the ground and not by imagination, propaganda or manipulation and intimidation.
We wish to express our unreserved gratitude to Deltans in the three Senatorial zones and also the diaspora, for their resolute, unflinching support, which ensured our overwhelming electoral victory and translated into this judicial triumph. Our campaign was robust and our outreach was all encompassing which translated into the landslide support we got at the grassroots.
Our victory was very legitimate with the massive turn out of our people to exercise their franchise, in spite of all the devious and dubious tactics deployed to intimidate them before election day and the outcome couldn’t have been different from the monumental victory we secured.
It is not in our nature to discourage the opposition from embarking on whatever course of action they choose, but we are aware that Deltans have consistently upheld the unanimous opinion, since after the election, that the decision of APC and Chief Ogboru to go to the tribunal was absolutely unnecessary, given the fact that they, as Deltans, were the ones who voluntarily and in the spirit of unity and equity, freely gave their thousands of votes to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the PDP, in order to consolidate on what has been achieved and deliver more enduring dividends of democracy to the people.
We therefore call on Chief Great Ogboru to, as a matter of social responsibility to his people and as a patriotic Deltan who claims to have the love and interest of his people at heart, to join hands with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the majority of Deltans who gave him their mandate on March 9, 2019, in the collective effort to build a stronger, greater Delta.
Long Live PDP
God Bless Delta State.
PDP! Power to the People.
Dr. Ifeanyi M. Osuoza
State Publicity Secretary
PDP, Delta State.