The Edo State Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and his counterparts from Delta and Bayelsa State Counterparts, Sen. Duoye Diri and Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, on Tuesday met for over three hours to strategise to ensure victory for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in this year’s presidential election.

Emerging from the meeting held at Delta State Governor’s residence at Owa Alero in Delta State, Governor Obaseki told journalists that the meeting was to felicitate with the party’s Vice-Presidential candidate and to wish him well in the election.

“It is a new year. We go round facilitating as a family to wish each other well and pray the new year brings good tidings to the party. We are here today to visit our brother, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State and Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 Presidential election.

“We wish him well in this election year and by the grace of God, he will be the next Vice-President of Nigeria. We pray God Almighty will make our dreams come through this 2023.”

Governor Diri, who spoke on the position of the G-5 governors, said the party is not ruling out discussing with them to persuade them to return and support and work for the victory of the party’s candidate.

“We want a united PDP and each time we meet, we focus and discuss the unity. We are not ruling out speaking to our brothers even today, we have also discussed the possibility of speaking to them to return to our party.

“We are calling on our brother-governors to be part of their own party and work in unity with every other person. We still want our brother governors back so we can visit them the way we visited our brother, Governor Okowa who by God’s grace will be the Vice-President of Nigeria.”

Similarly, the Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor of Delta, Sen Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, on Tuesday challenged Deltans to produce no fewer than one million votes for the party in the forthcoming general elections.

Okowa said that the votes would justify his emergence as running mate to the party’s Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and urged the people to make it a reality through their votes “for the good of all Deltans and Nigerians”.

He gave the charge at Ogwashi-Uku during the party’s local government campaigns in Aniocha South and Aniocha North Local Government Areas of the state.

The governor said that his emergence was an act of God because he was at his home when he was chosen to become Vice-Presidential Candidate of the party.

“We have over 3.3 million registered voters in Delta and I challenge us to churn out over one million votes for our party to enable us deliver on our Rescue Nigeria mission.

“The more votes we bring from Delta, the bigger my voice will be in the party and the greater things we will witness in Delta and Nigeria.

“I know that we have won this election already but we need to up our numbers because God has endorsed our election and we are only waiting for the day to come and pass,” he said.

He urged the people to go back home and mobilise votes for the party, and affirmed that God had sanctioned the party’s victory at the polls.

“This election is a BIVAS election; so, it is quite different from what we have been having but I am optimistic that we have the numbers to win.

“Let us go back home and collect our Permanent Voter Cards and ensure that we reach out to all our people wherever they may be,” the governor stated.

On the governorship election, he disclosed how God revealed Oborevwori’s emergence to him, and charged the people to support him because God had endorsed him as a worthy successor.

“The emergence of Chief Sheriff Oborevwori as our party Governorship candidate is divine because God revealed his emergence to me and I can assure you that he is a very humble man who will be answerable and accountable to all our people.

“I have known Sheriff for over 30 years and I can assure you all that he is a good man and he will continue to unite Deltans.

“Since we came, God has helped us to continue to unite Deltans and he will continue with our programmes, policies and projects.

“So, let us cast our votes for the PDP candidates and vote out the APC because they have destroyed our unity and brought hunger and insecurity to our land.

“They said they have done their best but their best is not good enough. They have dug Nigeria into a hole but with the help of all of us Atiku-Okowa will bring Nigeria out of the pit,” Okowa stated.

On his part, the Governorship Candidate, Oborevwori, said he had a fine team, which was committed to the development of Delta and assured that he would not disappoint the Anioma nation.

“I have worked with our dear Governor and to have committed to supporting me, it means that I have passed the litmus test.

“I am a unifier and a pan-Deltan and we shall have an all-inclusive government with continuity for all ongoing projects, programmes and policies,” he stated.

In his remarks, State Chairman of the party, Chief Kingsley Esiso, said that Nigerians were tired of galloping inflation, rising hunger and poverty and urged the people to punish APC with their votes.

“You are aware that in May, this year, Nigerians will have a new president that will promote the economy and ensure security of lives and property in the country.

“The ticket is a ticket for Delta because for the first time, the state would be producing the Vice-President of Nigeria,” he stated.

Director-General of the State Campaign Council, Chief Funkekeme Solomon, commended the people for their rousing reception and urged them to translate the support to votes in the elections.

At Issele-Uku, hundreds of ADC and APC members led by Chairman of ADC, Aniocha North, Mr Chris Ogwu and former APC chieftain, Mr Bolum Michael, defected to the PDP.

“We are back home to join the winning team; we have collapsed the structure of ADC in the LGA in all the wards to the PDP,” they stated.