DELE OGUNYEMI writes on the recent defections of aggrieved Peoples Democratic members who dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress on the grounds of the poor performance of the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa

These, indeed, aren’t the best of times for the Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State which suffered a serious setback last Sunday, following the mass defection of its members to the All Progressives Congress.

To the consternation of the PDP leaders and stalwarts in the state, one of the party’s former leaders, Daniel Oritsegbubemi Reyenieju stirred the hornet nest, after he led a large group of the party faithful to the APC  in the state at a mega political rally held at St. George’s College, Obinomba in the Ukwani Local Government Area on  January 22, 2023.

The lawmaker who is also the Chairman of the Organising Committee, did not make any pretention as to where he belonged concerning the APC Mega Rally as he pointedly stated in the signed invitation flyers which read partly, “This is the final nail on the coffin of the PDP bad government in Delta State”.

According to the three-term-member of the House of Representatives, representing Warri Federal Constituency, “All lovers of good governance are cordially invited,” Reyenieju added in the flyers also jointly signed by the APC State Publicity Secretary,  Valentine Onejeghuo.

Predictably, the rally venue was filled to capacity with the leadership of the DUG members across Delta State who claimed to be representing no fewer than 25,000 of their supporters. In droves, the DUG members, acclaimed to be loyalists to former governor, James Onanefe Ibori, formally defected into the APC, thereby worsening the chances of the ruling PDP’s victory in the state.

At the event, Reyenieju further charged all local government and ward executive members to “be fishers of men, women and eligible youths, ahead of the 2023 elections.”

The Green Chamber lawmaker who incidentally doubles as Delta South Zonal Coordinator of the foremost pressure group within the PDP, the Delta Unity Group, said that, “the DUG is poised to mobilise for the best candidates that would work for the larger interests of Delta State.”

Reyenieju who is a widely respected party man and whose pronouncements are regarded as law, while also speaking in Bomadi at the inauguration of the group’s chapter at Bomadi and Burutu Local Government Areas of Delta, urged the newly inaugurated executive members “to take the group’s message to the grassroots and harvest people with PVCs for the work ahead.”

He again stressed, “You are now fishers of men and women,” noting that, “Elections are local, everybody must go to their units. Nobody can become anything in the state without the DUG. They must have inputs of DUG. After your inauguration, every ward executive must mobilise for the forthcoming elections and await further directives from our national leader. We must mobilise effectively to achieve our objectives,” he maintained.

Earlier, the defectors were received  into the Delta APC fold by the Deputy President of the Senate and Delta State Governorship candidate of APC, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who vowed to punish Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in the February 25, presidential election for non-performance.

According to the Delta APC flag bearer, the poor performance of Governor Okowa in Delta, despite receiving N4.2tn t federal allocation in the last seven years has already given the APC victory.

Leadership of the DUG members who formally defected into Delta APC at the mega campaign rally included a former commissioner and three-time former member, House of Representatives, Rt Hon Mercy Almonai Isei; member PDP Board of Trustees and former Commissioner, Chief Judith Enamuotor; three-time member, House of Representatives, Daniel Reyenieju; former Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Monday Igbuya; another former Speaker, DTHA and former member, House of Representatives, Olisa Imegwu.

Others are: former Commissioner for Urban Renewal and Youth Development, Dr. Karo Ilolo; former Commissioner and also former member, DTHA, Timi Tonye; former Commissioner and former member, DTHA, Evans Iwurie; former chairman, Ethiope East LGA, Faith Majemite; former Executive Secretary, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission and former Special Adviser to Governor Okowa, Andy Osavwota.

The notable ‘Ibori Boys’ also comprised former Executive Secretary, Technical Education Board and Executive Assistant to the Governor on Technical Education, Mike Akpobire; former Commissioner of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, , Chief Pius Ovbije; Odali Stanley, former Senior Special Assistant to Governor Okowa; pioneer Chairman of PDP in Oshimili North LGA, Chief Felix Ndukwe; former Regional Manager of UBA, Dr. Godwin Ossai; former PDP Chairman, Ndokwa East LGA, Larry Eduzuka; former member, Post Primary Education Board, Chief Esere Ejifoma; Ingo Isaiah, Special Assistant to Governor Okowa; Enoch Azigbotu;  PDP Chieftain in Udu LGA, Ese Onota; Tobechukwu Okonkwo, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Okowa; PDP Woman Leader, Ughelli North LGA, Chief Florence Akpoyibo; and PDP Leader, Warri North LGA, Debi Asifor.

With their formal defection to APC, Omo-Agege declared that the people of Delta State were now determined to ensure that the APC wins all the three senatorial districts and the governorship seat in order to punish Okowa.

He said, “Come February 25, we have everything that it takes to chase Okowa out. We will win them. How many are there that we can’t beat them? We have the chance to punish Okowa in the ballot. We will chase them away.

“We have the chance to win the three Senate seats. If I become governor, no Senatorial District would be discriminated against. We will ensure there is equity. We will apply our resources judiciously and fairly. Our schools will no longer be kindergarten schools.

“The struggle is to make sure we chase Okowa away and stop them from coming to power. We mean well for our people and for our state. Everyone has equal power in our party.

“When your time reaches, God will direct everything. Who will have believed two years before now that strong men in the PDP will join us in the APC? It can only be God. Let me thank our brothers who have seen what we’ve seen longtime ago,” Omo-Agege stated.

The Deputy Senate President added, “This is not the Delta of our dream. N4.2 trillion has come to Delta State in the last seven years but nothing tangible to show for it.

“We received more allocation than Rivers state but Wike has turned Rivers state into a construction site. Pension and gratuities have not been paid since 2015.

“What crime did they commit? Okowa will not pay them but he has the money to pay for his vice presidential campaign,” the governorship hopeful declared.@

While Imegwu promised that the defectors would do their best to deliver APC in the state, Igbuya assured that the DUG had come into APC to help develop Delta State.

Igbuya stated that they joined the APC to put the state on right path of development, as it happened during the days of James Ibori. He therefore called on the people of the state to ensure they get their PVCs ready.

A former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Orubebe, who is also the Director-General of the Omo-Agege Campaign Council, said he was elated with the support and the revolution that took place in Delta State by the DUG.

Orubebe noted that after Ibori, governance collapsed in Delta State but assured that Omo-Agege will bring Delta State back on the track of development.

According to him, “the leadership of DUG was coming to the APC to put things right and ensure that APC wins the February 25, 2023 Presidential and the March 11, gubernatorial elections.”

The spokesperson for the Delta State Campaign Council of the PDP, Mr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, observed that some members of DUG, who on Sunday defected to the opposition party, acted in such manner “as a result of self inflicted frustration over the emergence of  Sheriff Oborevwori as the party’s governorship candidate”.

Oghenesivbe stated, “They will surely return to PDP after the forthcoming general elections.” Oghenesivbe who spoke as a guest of Delta Rainbow Television public affairs programme “Morning Ride”, on Monday, said, “what the defectors did was to shamelessly lick their vomit, the All Progressives Congress, APC and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.”

Barely one month earlier, family members  of the Managing Director of  DESOPADEC,  Askia Ogieh, led by Mr. Goodluck Obrogor, the only brother of Bashorun Askia, had defected from the PDP to the  APC.

Obrogor, who led 177 other defectors that denounced the PDP and pledged loyalty to APC at Uzere, hometown of the notable PDP power broker, during the APC ward to ward campaign in that community.

Lamenting their several years of stay in the PDP, Obrogor  declared that the Uzere people were in the throes of oppression and intimidation under the PDP government in the State just as he pleaded passionately with the Deputy President of the Senate and governorship candidate of the APC in Delta, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, to help the community.

Other notable PDP chieftains who defected  to the APC at the Uzere rally included James Miller, former Personal Assistant to the majority leader of the Delta State House of Assembly; Olotu Ode, Uzere community youth leader; Fred Uye, Edafe Agbaka, and other members of the Uzere youth movement.

Others are Okpokoro Precious, Azinoh Urieh, Adaka Frank, Ewomazino Ojabekie, Obi Endurance, Endurance Oluku and Ezekiel Urete.

James Igbi, the former Deputy governorship candidate of the ADC, also led a cross section of party leaders and elders in Uzere to decamp to the APC.

A former Commissioner for Urban Renewal in Delta,  Karo Ilolo, and two time chairman of Ethiope East LGA, Chief Mrs Faith Majemite, had earlier that week dumped the PDP, declaring publicly for APC.

Speaking at the APC ward to ward campaign at Uzere, Ilolo said,  “The PDP umbrella is torn. We are totally committed to the cause of the APC, and we shall win.”