…hold secret meeting in petroleum minister’s Delta home
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, leaders of the All Progressives Congress and elders of the Anioma ethnic nationality during the weekend held a closed door meeting to pick an alternative governorship candidate to replace incumbent Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.
The meeting was held at Kachikwu’s residence in his Onicha-Ugbo hometown in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
APC is solidly on ground in Delta North Senatorial District
The meeting, it was gathered, had in attendance eminent leaders and elders of the Anioma ethnic nationality, who have reportedly settled for an APC candidate for the 2019 governorship race in the state as an alternative to Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The leaders and elders under the aegis of the APC, hinged their decision to back only an Anioma candidate on the reported ‘gentleman’ zoning agreement between the three senatorial districts of the state, which purportedly ‘zoned’ the governorship position in 1999, starting with former governor, Chief James Ibori of Delta Central.
They maintained that an APC candidate from Anioma should be allowed to complete the remaining one term of the Delta North Senatorial District to complete their tenure of the Delta governorship.
According to them, it is only equitable for the senatorial district to complete its two terms through an APC candidate rather than re-electing Okowa, the incumbent governor, who is from Anioma and also seeking a second term in office.
A source, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent at the weekend that in line with the rotational agreement between the three senatorial districts regarding the governorship of the state, it’s most equitable that Anioma is supported to complete its remaining one term through an APC candidate from the area.
Meanwhile, in a communiqué issued at the end of the closed door meeting, the APC leaders urged all eligible governorship aspirants from Delta North Senatorial District to indicate interest so that their candidature could be marketed to the two other senatorial districts in the state.
The communiqué, which was signed by the Chairman of the Delta North Caucus of the party, Chief Hyacinth Enuha, and read to newsmen by Mr. Iwedi Nwaha, said, “From the inception of the Third Republic, the Central and Southern Senatorial Districts of Delta State have successfully completed two gubernatorial terms and as a result, the right of the Delta North Senatorial District to complete its second term, under the banner of the APC is only equitable.
“APC is solidly on ground in Delta North Senatorial District and has the capacity to win the 2019 gubernatorial election with the support of the other Senatorial Districts.
“From the inception of the Third Republic, the Central and Southern Senatorial Districts of Delta State have successfully completed two gubernatorial terms and as a result, the right of the Delta North Senatorial District to complete its second term, under the banner of the APC, is only equitable”.
The Delta North leaders also threw their weight behind the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and called on him to seek re-election in the 2019 general elections.
“We, the Delta North APC, hereby pass a unanimous vote of implicit confidence on the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, and we invite him to vie again for a second term come 2019,” the communique read.
The APC leaders also commended President Buhari and the APC on the decision on state police and restructuring, saying that the position of the ruling party was unprecedented and should be commended by all Nigerians.
