Niger Delta
Oborevwori, Others’ Defection Creates Political Tsunami – Tinubu …As Gov Tags It ‘Movement’
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Monday, described the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire structure of Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a political tsunami of unimaginable proportions.
He stated this while receiving Governor Oborevwori, immediate past Governor of the State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and the entire membership of the PDP to the APC at the Cenotaph, Asaba.
Represented by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, the President lauded Governor Oborevwori and Senator Okowa for the cordial relationship between them and for leading members of the PDP to the APC.
He said: “What can be greater than the promise of this day? This is a political tsunami of unimaginable proportion that has never happened in the history of the South-South region and barely in the history of this country.
“A political tsunami of this proportion has never happened where all the members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly are in the APC.
“The Speaker and all the members of the House of Assembly, so many members of the House of Representatives, the Governor and his entire cabinet and 500 councillors across the 25 local government areas of this great state. What testimony do you have greater than this?
“I want to pay special tribute to Senator Ifeanyi Okowa for the wonderful relationship that exists between him and his successor”.
He continued that “We are here with our unshaken belief in the power of collaboration, the understanding that we are stronger together than we can ever be, apart.
“What sets the APC apart is not an illusion of uniformity; it is our accepting that differences are inevitable and that greatness lies in managing them.
“Our tables have always been tables of dialogue, places where every member, no matter how big or small, is welcome to air their grievances.
“Your Excellencies Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the other great men and women, we welcome you to the APC today.
“I bring them the warm assurance of His Excellency, President Bola, Ahmed Tinubu, and all members of the APC.
“Now that you have come, we are all co-owners because, according to the constitution of the party, the Governor of the party is the leader of the party in the state, this is now as much as your party as it is ours.
“You have brought to us a wealth of experience, a breath of wisdom and a measure of strength for which we shall always remain grateful.
“This is a declaration that the strength of our great nation is alive, a spirit that brings your personal ambition, your party alliance and sees the larger set of history.
“Nigeria is greater than all of us and what we do here today is a step towards strengthening our promise. We welcome you, Your Excellency, not as defectors but as brothers and sisters who have found your rightful place amongst us.
“We welcome you not as guests but as family; we welcome you as fellow architects of a better Nigeria and may this day be remembered not just by what it signifies today but for the enduring fraternity and vision of source for tomorrow.”
Responding, Oborevwori described the defection as a historic movement in the best interest of the state. He pledged to unify the party to ensure total victory for it in the coming elections.
Oborevwori said; “what you have seen here today is a movement: it’s not a defection; it’s a movement. We have done consultations with our National Assembly members, with leadership, with stakeholders at the state level, at the senatorial level, at the local government level, at the ward level and we all decided that we must all join.
“This is Delta State; we cannot carry last. When we stand for something, we remain committed to it; we have been in opposition for almost 10 years.
“Do we need that? Mr. President has supported us, he has shown us love. We cannot face him in 2027 to work against him. That love that he has shown to us in Delta State, we need to reciprocate it.
“We cannot do it in our own party. We have to be inside to do it, and to do it well.
“When you consult widely you see everybody will come with you and you can see that the love is organic: you can see my relationship with governors; you see all the governors here.
“You see the large number of governors: yesterday 9 came and slept over. Today, see all of them here. I want to bless all of you; I want to thank all of you.
“This is a movement: this is not a defection; we have agreed we will move together and when we move together, what is at the national we will be able to grab it.
“Our members in the National Assembly are the next; they have agreed they will all defect on the floor of the house, and we have justification to move.
“All of us want to be in the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, which is in line with my MORE Agenda.
“For us in Delta State, it’s a statement and I believe other governors will join because it’s a movement, and when you have a movement, you don’t fail.
“There are some things people say in newspapers, that there is confusion, there is a faction in Delta APC. As I have come, there will be no faction again. Let me tell you, the Governor takes charge, and we are taking charge.
“I don’t believe in any faction, whether Omo-Agege or Keyamo faction, everybody must queue and we will unite the party to move this state forward for the benefit of our people and to bring development, peace and unity to our state and Nigeria.”
National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, applauded the cordial relationship between the Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, and his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
Ganduje said the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party was highly impressed because of the cordial relationship existing between the predecessor and successor which, according to him, was very rare in the country.
“So, we have to thank Dr. Okowa for that good relationship. Ladies and gentlemen, my job is very important, which is accepting, welcoming and also, embracing the Governor and the people of Delta State into our great party, the APC.
“Mr. Governor, what l would like to tell you while accepting you into our party, is that our core value in APC is progressive leadership and coincidently, from what we have seen on the ground in respect of your programmes and your projects, you are a progressive Governor.
“So, we are welcoming you for coming home. We believe in progressive ideas, we believe in proximity, interacting with different levels of our party; we believe in openness, we believe in internal democracy, we believe in self -accountability and we thank you for coming in,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, said the ceremony was quite historic and special in the life of the APC as a political party.
Senator Uzodinma, who disclosed that members of the APC were happy with the new political development in Delta State, said the APC meant well for the country.
“We are here to identify with you. We, therefore, urge all Deltans to continue to support their Governor as he consolidates on the achievements his administration has recorded so far,” he added.
On his part, the immediate past Governor of the State, Senator Okowa, explained that the decision to change political direction was made for the common good and in the best interest of the state.
“It was not about personal ambitions, but the need to connect to Abuja, where significant goodwill and resources exist, especially since the state is a major contributor.
Reflecting on his experience as a former governor in opposition, Okowa emphasized that while Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was performing well, aligning with Abuja would strengthen his efforts.
He called for strong support for both the President and the Governor, expressing the belief that the unity would allow them to dominate the political landscape of Delta State.
The ceremony was attended by 16 Governors of the APC and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Benjamin Kalu, among others.
Albert Ograka,
Asaba
The Head of Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, Mrs Stella Dornubari Gbaraba, has charged the National Association of Ogoni Media House Workers (NAOMEW) World Wide, to be committed to professionalism, patriotism and effective service delivery in the discharge of their duties and rendering of patriotic gestures.
Mrs Gbaraba gave the charge yesterday when the NAOMEW, The Tide Chapter paid her a courtesy call in her office in Port Harcourt.
She expressed deep appreciation for the visit, and assured the Association of her commitment to being a worthy Ogoni Ambassador like late Mr Augustine Nwikinaka, former General Manager of the corporation, to promote the fortunes of the corporation, while counting on their unflinching encouragement, prayers and support to succeed.
“ I am very happy to receive the National Association of Ogoni Media House Workers (The Tide Chapter) today in my office. I am glad you people came to my office, for those that know me in a short while in the corporation, I am a serious-minded person. I heard that the time the corporation was functioning well was under the leadership of late Austin Nwikinaka. Any where I go to, I will rather come down and show working example and that is what the Ogoni person is known for. So I am always proud to associate myself with an Ogoni man, so your support means so much to me,” Mrs Gbaraba said.
She assured them of running an open-door policy in the management of the corporation, and urged stronger partnership between NAOMEW, other unions, interest groups, corporate organisations, institutions and the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation in professional service delivery.
Speaking on behalf of the NAOMEW, The Tide Chapter, the National Secretary of the association, Comrade Taneh Beemene welcomed her into The Tide family and also congratulated her on her very important appointment.
Taneh, who expressed confidence in her experience and abilities to deliver on her assignments, thanked her for the uncommon feats recorded in the corporation within her brief leadership. He said the corporation has been revived from its comatose status that predated her appointment.
“ Within your short time, you have given the corporation a remarkable facelift. We pray that God should give you the enablement to restore the dignity of the corporation. We have come to inform you that we are solidly behind you and will make our untiring contributions to make you succeed, “ he stated.
In his vote of thanks and closing remarks, the Chairman, National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Production Workers (NUPPPPROW), Comrade Keyirale Donatus Nwiueh thanked the Head of the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, Mrs Stella Dornubari Gbaraba for receiving the association in a warm manner, adding that she should count on the support of the association to succeed.
Kiadum Edookor
Niger Delta
OBALGA Sole Administrator Presents Brand New Fire Extinguishers To Council …Commiserates With Traders Over Rumuomasi Market Fire Incident …Commences Desilting Of Drainages
The Sole Administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter has presented 150 brand new fire extinguishers to the council.
Dr Walter who spoke to newsmen at the council premises at Rumuodumanya said the gesture was part of measures by his administration to ensure safety of lives and council property from unforeseen fire incidents.
He urged the staff of the council to ensure the safety of the extinguishers, while promising to engage experts to teach them how to handle and operate the extinguishers.
Meanwhile, Sole Administrator of Obio Akpor Local Government Council, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter has commiserated with traders at the Rumuomasi Market over the unfortunate fire incident that gutted parts of the market.
Dr Walter who visited the market to assess the level of damage caused by the fire, described it as unfortunate
Addressing the crowd of distressed traders and community members, Dr. Walter acknowledged the historical significance of the market, which was originally built under the administration of the former Obio/Akpor Chairman and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON.
He noted that preliminary findings suggest the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, though a full investigation is still underway.
“As a local government, we will constitute a thorough investigation team to determine the root cause of the fire,
“Most importantly, we thank God that no lives were lost. I want to assure our traders that the Local Government will not abandon you.
“We will also work with security operatives to safeguard salvaged goods and prevent further losses,” he said.
He encouraged traders to adopt stricter safety measures, especially concerning electrical appliances in markets prone to fire hazards.
“There are many ways fires can ignite, even without an open flame. Let us all be vigilant and prioritise safety,” he cautioned.
Dr. Walter also commended those who stepped in to assist during the emergency.
“We are grateful to all who helped salvage goods and support affected persons during the crisis. Your kindness embodies the spirit of Obio/Akpor. The forthcoming investigation will help us put preventive structures in place,” he said.
The Chairman of the market, Mr. Prince Adele, who accompanied Dr. Walter, during the inspection, identified K-Lane as the most severely affected area.
A statement by the information officer to the council, Ominini Leslie Wokoma said no incident of death was reported by the traders during the visit.
In another development, the Sole Administrator of Obio/Akpor local government council, Sir Clifford Ndu Walter, has commenced a comprehensive canal clearance campaign with a view to identifying and removal of all blockages including illegal structures hindering the free flow of waters in the area.
A statement from the council Press Secretary, Ominini Leslie Wokoma said during the inspection of key canals in the area, several unauthorised barricades and blockages were discovered and removed.
According to the statement, Dr Walter emphasised that illegal dumping, unapproved structures and poor drainage habits endanger communities and undermine government efforts, adding that his administration is committed to protecting lives and property of the citizens.
It said the Sole Administrator also declared his readiness to ensure that all canals and drainages are cleaned, maintained and functioning effectively.
He also warned against further dumping of waste in waterways, citing impending flooding.