From: Ben Dunno, Warri
A community-based political pressure group in Delta State, the Uvwie Vanguard, has expressed confidence in the ability of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to clinch both the Delta Central Senatorial district and the governorship seats in 2019.
The group’s belief is based on its grassroot programme and supports across the state especially within the district.
Chairman of the group, Hon. Victor Okito, who re-affirmed the party’s resolve to retain the senatorial seat and clinch the governorship position from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the inauguration of Uvwie APC Canvassers for all the wards in the council areas held, last weekend, noted that with the kind of masses oriented programme, APC was putting in place ahead of the forthcoming election, the party has repositioned to claim victory.
Hon. Okito, who also spoke in his capacity as a Coordinator for Senator Ovie Omo Agege Again/Great Ogboru For Governor 2019 campaign, said the ongoing party sensitisation was focusing more on the grassroots based on the conviction that in the 2019 elections votes would count and the masses would be the determinant factor in which political party will eventually emerge as the winner across board.
According to him, “Unlike what had been the practise for more than 16years where votes does not count and what we have seen was an outright imposition of candidates by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, 2019 would be different especially with the just passed Electoral Reform Act that has accommodated the use of electronic voting system that tends to discourage ballot snatching and rigging by the ruling party in the state”.
” This is the more reason why we have decided to intensify our campaign at the grassroots level because we are very much aware that the era of falsification of results are over, the era of imposition of candidates are over and the era of impunity commonly associated with our electoral process would now be a thing of the past”.
“We want to believe that the people would take advantage of this new process to come out emasse and elect the leaders they can trust at all level of governance to power. From the Local Government to the state Assembly, Governorship seat, the National Assembly and the Presidential elections, we are very optimistic that the APC has all it takes to clinch all the elective offices both at the state and national level”.
Commenting on the chances of Senator Ovie Omo Agege to return back to the Senate and Chief Great Ogboru to clinch the governorship seat, he described both of them as leaders with an impeccable track records of achievements in their various endeavours politically, socially, academically and other wise, adding that a state like Delta requires their wealth of experiences in all fields of human endeavours to move forward.
“For instance look at the quality of input our amiable Senator Ovie Omo Agege has made in the legislation on the floor of the Senate even a short time he was in the National Assembly. We can testify to a good number of bills that are intended to better the lots of our people and that of the society he single handedly initiated and also supported that have been passed into law”.
“We are also witnesses to his constituency empowerments programmes across the senatorial districts which many have benefitted from since assumption of office as Senator and he has not stopped even till now. What else are we still looking for in 2019 in a Senator that we don’t already have in Senator Ovie Omo Agege”, he queried?
On Great Ogboru, he said, ” here is a man who has never lost an election since 2003 even when he contested against Ibori. All we have seen done to him was injustice either through electoral manipulation or bias justice system. But I tell you, it’s not going to be business as usual. We believe that with the new electoral reforms, he stands a better chance of winning in 2019 by God’s grace”.