We’ll continue to smoothen our relationship with federal bodies, Delta govt replies critics

Charles Aniagwu, Delta State commissioner for Works (rural) and Public Information, has replied to critics who accused Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of planning to defect from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to the All Progressives Party (APC), considering the way the governor “romances” the President at the centre.

The PDP is ruling in the state and APC leads at the federal level and many people expect Governor Oborevwori to play opposition politics but he has refused with the reason that a support to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC-led Federal Government would only attract development to Delta State.

The situation seems to be worsening with the cross-carpeting of some stalwarts of the PDP to the APC and same people claiming that Oborevwori would also decamp soon.

The recent visit of David Umahi, minister of Works, to Delta State, has raised more dust on the issue when he declared that Delta State is a progressives state because the governor is a progressive.

He said that Governor Oborevwori had turned the state to a huge construction site, executing federal roads including the flyovers just for the benefit of the people of the state.

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Also, Governor Oborevwori representing President Tinubu at the commissioning of Access Road to the 2nd Niger Bridge seemed to have given more flesh to the allegations of his critics.

Additionally, the support given to Oborevwori by APC members who had left the PDP became another point as they said the governor would follow them soon. This was seen to have made tempers begin to rise.

In order to douse the tension, Aniagwu at a press conference on Thursday declared, “We will continue to smoothen our relationship with federal bodies starting from the Presidency to all other agencies of government, all with a view to ensuring that our state benefit maximally from whatever it is that we can get so that at the end of the day we are able to make life much more meaningful for our people.

“Goovernor Sheriff Oborevwori was partnering with the Federal Government for the overall development of the state.

“The interactions and interfacing with relevant organs of government at different levels will be strengthened for the purpose of advancing the MORE agenda.

Our state has started reaping from that relationship because on Sunday, we joined the Federal Government for the concessioning of the Benin – Onitsha Expressway with dual carriage.

“That is going to ease transportation along that corridor and we very much support it.

“We also support that initiative of the federal government and as a government and administration we wholeheartedly welcome the idea so that that road will become much more motorable in the course of time.

“On Monday you also saw the Minister of Works, David Umahi as well as our own governor who represented the President
still on the line of the very cordial relationship that we maintain with the federal government.

“We have made it very clear over time that at the moment we have one President and we will continue to cooperate with that President for the purpose of ensuring that our country functions effectively.

“If there is trouble at the center or in any of the component states, of course you do know that it will hamper development and we do not wish that development is hampered in any part of our country,
let alone the entire federation, which today is presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“That relationship has ensured that the Federal government proceeds to complete the construction of the 17.5km alignment to link up the Second Niger bridge from Issele-Azagba.

“As a state, we welcome it wholeheartedly, our Governor who represented the President at that function has pledged that as a state we will cooperate and support every effort by the federal government to ensure that that particular construction is completed.

“At that ceremony, you saw the Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi acknowledging that our governor has been quite exemplary in giving out the dividends of democracy by way of infrastructure enhancement and human capital development.

“Governor Oborevwori has given vent to section 14 subsection 2 paragraph b of the 1999 constitution which states inter alia that the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government.

“At that moment you could see a convergence of fairness in that assessment and we appreciate the Minister and Mr President for what he is doing in our own dear state and we also look forward to having more of such projects in the course of time.”