Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2023 Vice Presidential candidate and Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, has responded to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, over his comment in the state.
Recall that Tinubu had on Saturday, during his presidential rally in Delta, slammed the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar for his consistent visit to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
According to Tinubu, the Wazirin Adamawa loves Dubai more than Nigeria. The APC presidential candidate also accused Governor Okowa of making his state’s resources available to fund Atiku’s exorbitant lifestyle.
The former Governor of Lagos State also warned that Delta was not an Automated Teller Machine for migratory politicians from the state. Naija News reports that Tinubu’s comment was contained in a statement issued by his media officer, Tunde Rahman.
The APC candidate in his address at the Warri Township Stadium accused the opposition party of abandoning infrastructural development in the state and leaving Delta to rot away.
He said, “Delta is among Nigeria’s largest oil and gas producing states. Revenue from oil and gas has historically been the backbone of government revenue and foreign exchange earnings.
“As such, your state and other oil producers have made a one-of-a-kind financial contribution to the building of modern Nigeria. The nation is thankful to you.
“Delta has all it takes to be great and help lead the nation forward. Yet, for the past 23 years, those governing your state have taken you for a hard and long ride by selling you short. They have not done the things they should have and could have done for you.
“The infrastructure in the state was better 30 years ago than it is now. The state has recorded historic debts run up by the incumbent, yet the infrastructure and other things still remain lacking because of under-investment and neglect.
“The money is much, but it does not have legs. Where did it go? Not to your welfare. Perhaps, it has found a home with a certain presidential candidate who loves Dubai more than Nigeria.
“But Delta State is not an ATM for migratory politicians. It is a place where good and hardworking people reside and work to create decent and peaceful lives for themselves and their families.”
Your Identity Still Unknown – Okowa Fires Back At Tinubu
In a swift response to Tinubu’s allegations and demeaning comments about his person and relationship with Atiku, Okowa said he does not have time to respond to someone whose identity is still unknown to Nigerians.
Speaking through a spokesperson for the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation and Delta State Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, the PDP Vice Presidential candidate said Deltans appreciated the state’s infrastructural development and that the state was “not like Lagos that Bola Tinubu put in his pocket.”
Aniagwu, while interacting with The PUNCH in an interview, said “We don’t have time to respond to somebody whose identity is still unknown. Let him first of all go and clear himself; when and where he was born, the schools he attended and other records about him so we can know who we are talking to.
“Somebody whose records are still in doubt cannot be the one talking. Our state cannot be in his pocket the way he did Lagos. Delta is not Lagos, and our people cannot be deceived by such a person.”
The Defeat In Edo Is A Child Play – Okowa To Oshiomhole
Replying to former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, who also took a swipe at him ahead of the 2023 general elections, Okowa, through his aide, said he thought the APC chieftain would have learned from the past events.
Aniagwu said the defeat Oshiomhole and APC suffered in 2020 in Edo will be less compared to what he will suffer in Delta come 2023.
He said: “With the kind of wonderful defeat and disgrace he, the APC and Adams Oshiomhole suffered in the last Edo State governorship election, we thought he would have learnt some lessons. That 2020 defeat in Edo will be child’s play compared to what they will suffer in Delta State in 2023.
“Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has been prudent in managing the state economy. We have a lot of infrastructure on the ground for all the money that accrued to the state, ranging from roads to bridges, schools and human capital development. Their (APC) governorship candidate did not tell him that the road from the airport to the stadium is a federal road the APC-led Federal Government failed to fix,” the statement added.
