Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State Governor and vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged Nigerians to vote out the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming presidential election.
Okowa, made the plea in Lagos on Sunday evening, noting that the PDP would reverse the current trend of poverty and hardship in Nigeria if elected in the February 25 poll.
Okowa, who was in the company of his Edo state counterpart, Governor, Godwin Obaseki, received over 1,000 members of the Lagos state chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who defected to PDP.
After collapsing its structure into the PDP, the ADC endorsed Atiku Abubakar and Lagos state gubernatorial candidate, Olajide Adediran in the 2023 general polls.
While addressing the defectors, Okowa said: “For those of us who are politicians, when we see strength in politics, we recognize it. When we see a positive movement that can truly change things, we recognize it.
“From what I have seen today, the baton of leadership is going to change hands in Lagos.
Looking into the crowd, I can see a very high population of youths and I know there is strength in that. I can see a lot of women here and I can see the strength.
“I know you are very eager to take over Lagos State, and for Jandor to become governor of this state, but the easiest pathway is to ensure that Atiku/Okowa ticket wins the election next Saturday for true hope for Nigeria.
“Once that election is won, there will be a ripple effect here and the so-called ownership in Lagos will have crumbled and you can now freely take over the government house in Lagos.
Okowa urged the youth and the women to embark on door-to-door campaigns and go into markets and communities to talk to voters and mobilize votes ahead of the forthcoming election.
He said Abubakar understood the problems of disunity, lack of trust, insecurity, a badly-managed economy, unemployment and others facing the country.
According to him, the PDP would reverse the trend of poverty and hardship. With Atiku/Okowa administration, we are ready to work with all Nigerians to discover the Nigeria of our dreams.
The governor further stated: “This country is blessed enough, if we are able to set the foundation right, and to work genuinely with our people, we can still enjoy our country yet again and grow our economy to a very high level.
“Be strong-willed, we will definitely take over Lagos and Atiku/Okowa will take over Nigeria and we shall work together to give the best to our people.
According to him, “Atiku/Okowa ticket is desirous to manage Nigeria so that it will work for all, and where every citizen lives in unity.
“Truly, to realise Nigeria of our dreams, to grow the economy and fight the insecurity, we must learnto stay united and to have the will to do the right thing.
“We stand for unity, enough of the deceit. We are experienced enough and we are humble enough to work with every Nigerian. Atiku is humble and has never been a fanatic and does not discriminate.
“The pains are with us now; the help is on the way. Go out there and take the campaign to every part of Lagos. Make sure your vote counts and defend it, fear not.”
In his address, Jandor assured Lagosians of the breath of fresh air, when elected as the Governor of Lagos.
Earlier, the chairman of chairmen of the 20 local government areas, LGA of ADC, Adewole Ijaogbomo, described the event as an epoch-making in the annals of political rejuvenation in Lagos.
Ijaogbomo said the decision to join PDP was made after profiling every political party in the state and their candidates for gubernatorial election for the purpose of identifying the best of all who can match the ruling party in terms of structure, spread, tenacity and all other ancillary qualities required for winning the election.
According to Ijaogbomo, “All we are here today is to do what is right and just. Not for our personal interests, but the interests of the commoners in Lagos State in particular and Nigeria at large. We must not get it wrong this time around.”
“Based on the aforementioned submissions, we the LGA chairmen of the African Democratic Congress in Lagos state including the ward chapters hereby collapse our structures and through this medium directs our entire structures to mobilize, campaign and vote all PDP candidates from Atiku/Okowa ticket for the presidential election on the 25h February 2023 and Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (Jandor) for governor of Lagos State on March 11, 2023.”
