Politics
Delta: PDP Chieftain Harps On Zoning Arrangement
A former Minister of State for Education, Chief Kenneth Gbagi, has called on the political class in Delta to maintain the zoning arrangement for the governorship position, in the spirit of fairness and justice.
Gbagi made the call on Monday while on a familiarisation visit to the Urhobos in Bayelsa, to solicit for their support, ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Although Gbagi said that he contested the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries in 1999 that produced Chief James Ibori as candidate, he said that he had since joined hands to build and strengthen the party in the state.
He noted that as the main advocate of zoning arrangement that saw Ibori’s emergence from the central senatorial district as governor, Uduaghan from south and Okowa from north, it was only natural that the governorship position should now return to the Urhobos.
Gbagi, who is also an industrialist, urged the Urhobos to continue to pray and support Okowa for him to finish very strong.
He described the governor as a very shrewd politician who knew the contributions of the Urhobos toward his emergence as governor and owed them the duty of returning governorship to the Urhobos.
Gbagi urged the people to ensure actualisation of the agreement on the zoning of the governorship seat to the central senatorial zone.
The politician also advised them against being influenced by politicians to mortgage their future and that of the generation yet unborn through monetary inducements during the primaries.
He lauded the governor for the monumental transformation going on in the state and promised to sustain the legacies of the governor, if elected.
Early in his welcome remarks, the President of Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), Bayelsa chapter, Chief Charles Oruru, expressed joy over Gbagi’s visit, describing him as an astute industrialist and politician who had impacted the lives of the people of the state positively.
Oruru assured Gbagi of the unalloyed support of the Urhobos living in Bayelsa to ensure his emergence as governor, come 2023.
Similarly, the Delta South Political Assembly (DESPA) has urged the Delta Central Political Movement (DC-03), another emerging political group in Delta State, not to mislead the people of the state on the issue of zoning of the governorship position for the 2023 elections.
The Director of Media, Comrade Abobo Blessing, in a statement made available to news men yesterday, said the state should continue with the existing zoning formula, which he said was based on ethnic groups.
According to him, zoning by ethnic groups, being practiced since 1999 was consistent with the 1999 Constitution, especially Chapter Two, as well as the PDP Constitution, 2017.
The group maintained that for the 2023 governorship election, the pendulum by all fairness, favours the Ijaw and the Isoko ethnic groups.
Abubu said: “The Delta Central Political Movement, DC-03, can focus on their Urhobo governorship ambition come 2023 since it is their constitutional right to do so.
“The movement being floated by the cream of Urhobo political leaders is free to propagate their course of championing Urhobo governorship agenda.”
He maintained that the DESPA disagreed with DC-03 for making reference to the settled issue of the non-existent zoning formula based on the Senatorial Districts.
According to him, some of the members of the said DC-03, who had contested the PDP primary elections in 2006 and 2014, together with other aspirants from the Delta North and South Senatorial Districts, knew that there was nothing like zoning in Delta State PDP, based on Senatorial Districts.
The Tide source reports that Prof. Akinoso was elected alongside 38 other executive members of the party at the congress held on Saturday.
Other executive members are Dr Abiola Olaonipekun, who emerged as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu, Women Leader and Mr A. Adeleke, elected as Youth Leader.
It was learnt that the congress, which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado in Ibadan, was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, other security agencies and prominent members of the party.
The election was supervised by electoral committee members, among whom were Prince Diran Odeyemi, who served as Chairman, Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun, Mr Olumide Aguda and Dr Phillips Adeniyi, who served as Secretary.
Prof. Akinoso, in his inaugural address, urged members of the party to set aside intra-party differences.
He advised them to concentrate their resources on the promotion of the party, saying, “The primary responsibilities of party executive members are to coordinate party activities, ensure harmony among members, and ensure party victory during general elections.
“Our immediate assignments are to key into INEC released 2027 general election time-tables. As directed by the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, our party e-membership registration starts next week. We must be fully involved and do a membership drive.
“A political party is only relevant and benefits its members if it wins the election. This is our goal. We should set aside intra-party differences; concentrate our resources towards the promotion of the party. We will make necessary consultations and dialogue to actualise this”.
President Tinubu disclosed this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He also disclosed that his administration had opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
“There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money, but how they use it is in your hands. So, don’t bombard me alone,” President Tinubu said.
The ruling party said the ADC had turned criticism of the APC-led administration into its operating manifesto instead of presenting concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, the party dismissed the ADC’s interpretation of a report presented at a policy dialogue organised by Agora Policy which suggested that the country’s poverty rate had risen from 49 per cent to 63 per cent.
Mr Morka said the opposition party’s reaction to the report as a “damning verdict” on the government’s economic policies reflected either ignorance of economic realities or deliberate political mischief.
“The African Democratic Congress’ attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise of poverty rate of 63 per cent from 49 per cent as a damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” he said.
The APC spokesman noted that the report itself recognised the necessity of reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural distortions in the economy.
According to him, the ADC had failed to present any credible alternative policy direction for Nigerians.
“Clearly, the ADC does not recognise itself as a political party. The ADC has not articulated a single alternative policy position or prescription of benefit to Nigerians. Condemning the APC and its policies has become its operating manifesto,” Mr Morka said.
He explained that major economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows, were necessary steps to rescue the country’s economy from collapse.
Mr Morka said the subsidy regime had for years placed a heavy burden on public finances, consuming trillions of naira annually while encouraging corruption, fuel smuggling and inefficiencies in the system.
He added that the reforms had helped redirect national resources to key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The APC spokesman acknowledged that economic reforms often come with short-term hardship but stressed that the measures were essential to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
“Economic reform is never cost-free anywhere in the world. The transient hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Morka maintained that the country’s economic outlook was already improving, citing recent growth figures and stronger external reserves.
“Our economy has rebounded and is expanding steadily. The country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.4 per cent last year and is projected to expand by 5.5 per cent this fiscal year, with foreign reserves now exceeding $50 billion,” he stated.
He also pointed to government initiatives designed to cushion the effects of economic adjustments on citizens, including cash transfer programmes, student loan schemes and the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives to reduce transportation costs.
Mr Morka reaffirmed that the APC-led administration would remain focused on rebuilding the economy and expanding social investments to support vulnerable Nigerians.
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