From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State on Thursday said he has not endorsed any People’s Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant for governor as his successor in 2023.
Three governorship aspirants including Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro; Speaker of the state House of Assembly Sheriff Oborevwori; and former Minister of State for Education Kenneth Gbagi are claiming that Okowa has endorsed them.
But speaking through his Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, the governor said his name was being dropped for envisaged advantage.
He said the aspirants were simply identifying with the achievements of his administration and the integrity which he had built over the years.
Aniagwu, who addressed reporters in Asaba, said the governor is a democrat and would not be interested in asking anybody to step out of the race to the exalted position.
‘The governor will not be interested in asking anybody to step down because he is a democrat. But his achievements and pedigree will speak very loud.
‘Everybody knows that the governor has recorded a number of achievements, and it is believed and rightly so that any direction he shakes his body will have a whole lot of advantage because he has been able to add a whole lot of value to the promises he made.
‘If in that light because they believe the name of the governor is capable of giving them an advantage, you can’t blame them, and we are not going to fight them for using the name of the governor because they are trying to associate themselves with what is good.
‘At the end of the day, we are going to have one governorship candidate in the PDP. The governor’s pedigree is quite high and everybody wants to have that covering,’ he said.
Aniagwu said there was nothing if the said aspirants misconstrued the governor when they consulted him about their governorship ambition.
‘If you go and meet him to say you want to run, you are being courteous. Naturally, he will not ask you to stop because it is assumed that you have accessed and you have the capacity to run.
‘And if you believe that because he did not ask you to stop, that it is an endorsement, there is nothing wrong with it.
‘What is important is that we hope and believe that all our members who are interested in positions whether the governorship or legislature, that they are able to play safely and with respect for one another.
‘So the governor hopes that anybody who is contesting will use the most sane words; have respect for one another; recognize the fact that we are one family; recognize the need for us to sustain the development trajectory in the state.
‘Not too many people are carrying money and jumping up and down because they believe that the best just have to come, knowing that the enormity of succeeding Okowa is a task that would require a whole lot of strength if the person must indeed command the respect that this administration enjoys at the moment,’ he added.