Now that the din over endorsement, non endorsement, and lack of endorsement claims and allegations have been stilled and over, the Movement for Stronger Delta, (MSD) is calling on governorship aspirants to come out with what they have in stock that Deltans should expect from them.

Of course, we understand perfectly that the primaries will be a delegates election, especially since the expected mode will be indirect primaries and this is usually the season of windfall and harvest for identified delegates, we also wish to implore, appeal and charge statutory and other delegates to equally task the aspirants on what policies, programmes and initiatives they have for the people.

Delegates are representatives of the people at every level of the electorate block at Ward, Local Government, and State levels, so it is also imperative for them to demand from aspirants, a clear and comprehensive agenda of their plans and visions on how to deliver more and functional democracy dividends to Deltans, if they get elected as candidates.

Enough of the tantrums, invectives, and unwholesome attacks at one another; they mean nothing to the people as they are of no value to them in any way.

So far, the people are bored and disappointed with listening to and reading of the “old wife’s fables” bandied about for an aspirant as it catches the fancy of the respective hired writers who adorn the social media space with the phantasmagoria of the person they have soft spot for.

Rather than continue to play to the gallery, while leaving stranded and without information the people whose destiny they seek to control politically, Governorship aspirants should without much ado, unveil to the people the gems they have for them and the value inherent in them.

Enough of rhetoric and talks that amount to nothing; enough of phrases deliberately dished out and clothed with cunning, deceitful, and of treacherous quality.

We propose that each Governorship aspirant, as indeed, all others aspiring to other elective positions, should get serious and tell their tattlers to transform from being hack writers into value-based communicators.

The aspirants should impress on their publicists the need to inform and educate the people about what their principals have for them and why they deserve the people’s support. Deltans want to know the individual policy direction of each Governorship aspirant. They want to know the nitty-gritty of your policies and the profundity of your thought.

MSD calls for issue-based information that gives insight into what each and every aspirant proposes to do for the people when voted for, instead of the annoying and provocative tales of false endorsements and twisted narratives of praise-singing of aspirants dubiously attributed to unsuspecting public figures to their eternal embarrassment and subsequent pointed disclaimers to set the records straight.

It is not enough to give the people catchphrases and go on rigmarole of the archaic system of selling mere sentiments and empty objectives. Deltans want to know from aspirants of all description objectives that are tangible and the value that constituents stand to benefit from.

Deltans want to know what our Governorship aspirants think about the problem of insecurity and how they would turn things around. They want to know how they will enforce the Anti-Open Grazing Law of the State so that the bushes are rid of the nefarious activities of herdsmen and kidnappers so that the farms will be attractive for farmers once again. What are the respective plans to end kidnapping, cult activities, and other such vices that have widened the scope of insecurity?

Current serving Governors have problems with the constitutional role and nomenclature given to them as Chief Security Officers of their States but cannot rein in on Commissioners of Police and other security agencies because the Governors have no power of control over them. It would be interesting for Governorship aspirants to tell the people how they will overcome this nagging issue when any of them finally is voted into office.

What are your economic policies for the State, and especially the economic blueprint for each senatorial district and the Local Governments? How will you tackle the challenges of the administration of the Local Government Councils? Schools and education, commerce and industry, agriculture – what plan and how do you achieve the plan of improving agriculture and making the industry viable, and making food surplus?

Our environments have challenges, what new vista does a Governorship aspirant have to ease environmental degradation of the riverine areas, ecological problems, and erosion?

Also, our other classes of aspirants to the Senate, House of Representatives, and Houses of Assembly should get up and engage the people with issue-based talks. Deltans are appalled that many of our representatives are hardly found at plenary sittings; some have never been observed to contribute to debates, especially on issues that affect their constituents.

Quite a number of these legislators have been labeled as lame ducks and most of them, except for the token pecuniary handouts and miserable empowerment items dished out at long intervals, have never even been known to create opportunities to interact with their people, to know their minds in matters of national importance so they can return to make the opinions of their constituents known during plenary discussions.

Deltans will want to vote for a candidate who can assure them of solutions to the emerging challenges of governance, as our democracy consolidates and in our collective effort towards building a #Stronger Delta.

They are calling for those who will not just be voted for but who will abandon them when it matters most to stand and speak up for their interest in the Senate, House of Representatives, and the House of Assembly. Deltans are seeking for men and women who truly have the people’s interest at heart, and who will make valuable contributions that will yield a true dividend of democracy for them. Not sell-outs.

This is why MSD considers these and more issues crucial that aspirants of all hues MUST address the people about as they do their consultations. It is hearing from our aspirants that will convince delegates to support the best aspirant for a position to fly the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and in the end lead to voting for such a candidate at the general elections and lead to the emergence of a Stronger Delta of our dream.

Deltans are not interested in abuses and other forms of despicable indulgences from the campaign houses of aspirants against one another. Tell the people what you have for them and how you intend to achieve it. This is the road to a Stronger Delta.

The emergence of a #STRONGER DELTA, is the MAIN agenda.

MOVEMENT FOR STRONGER DELTA, (MSD)

Underrate him at your peril, he holds the ace of strategic impulse, deeply unassuming but perilously a master strategist.

Still a grand guru of unpredictability and a political mystery. Till date, no one has been able to dissect and give an exact diagnosis of the man called Muhammadu Buhari.

Experts in the study of body language and gesture are still in awe of the man, political clairvoyants are still in limbo on the impenetrable nature of the man, close aides have been rendered strangers to the inner workings of the mind of this Daura born political enigma. Like he once said, indeed, his mind belongs to everyone and to no one – the very reason he has remained a mystery.

In the last one month, the All Progressives Congress , APC was in the eyes of a tumultuous storm, the party was embroiled in a litany of political intrigues, manipulations and fierce internal struggles. Camps outwit camps as groups battle groups in wits and propaganda.

It got to a point where all hell was let loose as the actors went publicly ballistic in embarrassing fights of attrition. All these narrowed down to one forte; the 2023 general elections. Who becomes who and what were the crux of the fierce battles and the house was near its collapse. Until one man who undoubtedly is the rope that ties the broom waded in and in a telepathic switch everything returned to the default setting, and the ruling party roars back to life.

He first warned in measured words, that the party must not make the mistake of ever allowing the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP return to power. With this sinking into the consciousness of the party faithful defined in belligerence interests, the president reeled out his intervention in what pundits now describe as mechanical and choreographed traces of purposeful leadership.

Indeed politics is consultation laced with deep reflections given the recent happenings in the APC. The conclusion is that the President is not only fully aware of everything and everyone and all the schemings under him but has a tap on every move to the minutest details. He was just observing like a veteran war General awaiting the clinical time to strike.

Mr President is not only in charge but fully in charge.The four meetings held within the last 48 hours is proof that he understands Wetin dey play. First with the governors, followed by the party aspirants, the National Assembly caucus of the party and then the founding fathers of the party. These deft moves show the man genuinely means well for APC and Nigeria as I have always known and hold in respects all critical stakeholder and the value they bring onto the table. You do not ever take a General for granted or undermine their war strategy.

A day to National Convention and PMB has met with virtually all critical stakeholders of the Party. Leaving everything to this injury time is to me a strategy anchored on appropriate timing and period when there will be no time to RETREAT to REGROUP.

Make no mistake every of those stakeholders are fully under the radar. ‘If you no fear Military, try fear General’ especially the old fox with unpredictable acumen. President Olusegun Obasanjo did same in 2007 for PDP and BOOM President Umaru Yar’Adua appeared.

If you remember President Buhari’s famous bombshell of January 2022 during his chat with Channels TV where he said “If I reveal my preferred successor they will eliminate him” then you can understand that the man is undoubtedly a strategist of inimitable pair.
Written by ABDULLAHI O. HARUNA (Haruspice)

*Abdullahi O. Haruna (Haruspice) a core Buharist and author of ‘The Buhari in Us’ writes from the School of Musing thoughts and reflection.*

By Ifado Ifado ATAMEYO.

As the political race to Dennis OSADEBE House gathers momentum, riverine communities have their hope for a better tommorow rekindled by Olorogun David EDEVBIE.

Olorogun David EDEBVIE’s governorship policies and humanistic traits present a brighter future and greater comfort for the riverine communities than any other contender.

Undoubtedly, Olorogun David EDEBVIE’s quest for a reformed society away from the discrimination and unfair imbalance between urban and riverine dwellers had earlier been demonstrated when he pragmatically ensured the establishment of the interventionist Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs while working at the Presidency as Principal Secretary to late President Umaru Yaradua.

The introduction was to add impetus in tackling the development inequalities and infrastructural deficits that have made life difficult for the people for decades.

Never economical with the truth, Olorogun David EDEVBIE abhors injustice, promotes dynamism and professionalism in management and stands against unprogressive tendencies of the “status quo.”

Olorogun David EDEVBIE is pained by the total darkness surrounding the riverine areas across Delta State.

As a modern mind, he sees the riverine areas as part of the tripod of resources and has committed to developing them to achieve Delta an integrated and accelerated development of the state.

In Delta State, hardly can one mention any riverine region that has no deposit of crude oil. There is no riverine region that has no wealth of agricultural produce in Delta State. There is no riverine region in Delta State that does contribute to the state’s food basket, but when it comes to developments, they lack all the good things – roads, electricity, drinkable water, hospitals, good primary and secondary schools, none existence of tertiary institutions and other basic social amenities.

One would think they committed some offence in history to have been so neglected and consigned to disregard. It is such a monumental aberration.

But Edevbie offers hope. For the first time, we are seeing an aspirant that is putting the development of the riverine areas as a cardinal agenda in his manifesto and he does by demonstrating a deep knowledge of the areas, understanding of the development challenges and realistic plans to solving them.

It is an indication that if given the mandate as successor to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, he is positively determined to rewrite the story of Delta riverine communities and bring them out of the pain and agony of selective uninclusion, disproportionate and denied opportunities from lopsided concentration in developments in upland areas, devastating ecological problems from oil and gas exploration and many more.

It must be known that the riverine communities are about 50% of the landmass and population of the state and the state cannot be said to be developing when such area is untouched.

It must also be known that a larger percentage of residents of the cities are from either the riverine or rural communities and all well meaning Deltans should be prepared to support the bridging of the artificial gap in development created by humans.

By so doing, we can feel a sense of oneness even in our cultural diversity and linguistic differences.

I therefore make a passionate clarion call on the power brokers from the riverine areas in Delta State, to go back to the drawing board, redesign the latitudinal lines and contours in the territorial waters and ensure that delegates of the PDP to the May 21 primary produce for us Ologorun David EDEVBIE, for it is only in him that the rivers people can find hope of a new, better life.

(ATAMEYO, a Deltan from Iyede-Ame writes from Ozoro.)

By Ifado Atameyo

In the Vanguard Newspaper Viewpoint features published on December 7, 2020, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s Special Assistant on Media, Nobert Chiazor, by the approval of Governor Okowa himself, revealed the following about David Edevbie:

“Ever courteous and self-respecting, he is not given to vulgarity or imprudent crudity that are common mannerisms of most political office holders in Nigeria. Far from a stormy petrel, Edevbie is neither a die-hard troublesome politician nor a bullish power monger. He acts more like a genial player, a gentleman in government.

“An affable image refined by disciplined parental nurture and cultured British peculiarity, Edevbie made a dramatic entry into Nigeria’s political space in 1999 when he flew home to assume office as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, (and) by the time his tour of duty ended in 2003, he had transformed a lethargic civil service from a slow outmoded bureaucracy weighed down by dusty files into a vibrant technological- savvy, computerized institution, leveraged by speedy and efficient operations in fiscal management.

“His pedigree propelled him to national reckoning when he received an invitation to be the Director of Finance and Strategy in the campaign of the then PDP presidential candidate, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua now late. He was later appointed Principal Secretary when Yar’Adua was elected president in 2007, serving until April 2010 after the death of the head of state, to establish his consulting firm, Avantgarde, reputed with tested portfolio in Power, Oil & Gas, Mining, Health, Telecommunication, Financial Markets and Hotels.

“He returned to mainstream politics in 2014 and became a principal actor in Delta PDP gubernatorial race, conceding to Okowa who emerged flag bearer on December 8 primary and ultimately, governor on May 29, 2015.

“Political tolerance and love of Delta would bring both men together in power as Edevbie became Commissioner of Finance again after his 1999 debut and got appointed Chief of Staff to Okowa in his second tenure as Governor.

“Okowa’s accommodating nature and gentle spirit had coalesced with Edevbie’s civilized nurture and competence to helm in the stronger hold, a new Delta, driven by a policy thrust named SMART Agenda.

“Edevbie as Chief of Staff has so far done his bit coordinating key policies and activities of government appointees with matchless focus and fastidious diligence, befitting of his standard management orientation.

“Together, the Chief of Staff and the Governor are working in the seamless mix to address the challenges of an enchanting but complex state, under a precarious economy influenced by the global meltdown of recession and the phenomenon of a novel pandemic.

“The Edevbie model – power with purpose and responsibility represents the indomitable spirit of youth and the enduring value of the dignity of man.”

These words issued from the Government House, Asaba, by the approval of Governor Okowa himself, truly depicts Edevbie’s essence.

Today, Edevbie is gunning for the Governorship of the same Delta State in which he had supported various administrations to succeed.

The powers that be have severally acknowledged that he is the best.

Delegates of the PDP across the length and breath of the state also acknowledge that Edevbie is the best and they all feel it only makes sense to let the best do the job.

It will therefore be a humungous disservice to Deltans, in fact, a mortgage of the state to nothingness, for our affable Governor Okowa and the respected leaders and elders of the PDP to, for whatever sentiments, grievances or guise, settle for less and deny the people of the opportunity of having their best as the next Governor.

Let good reason, good conscience, love for the state and commitment to a better future for Deltans be the single guide in this matter.

We believe, deep in his heart, Governor Okowa knows this is the best path to follow and would be kind to Deltans to give them the best. We believe he would reject all such suggestions of grievance and malice being falsely attributed to him by those who insist on propagating disaffection, disharmony and disunity within the PDP and among ethnic groups for their selfish interest.

We believe that, with his well known wisdom and love for his state, Governor Okowa will settle for only the best, and the best, he knows, is David Edevbie.