For Labelling Invited Governors To Commission Projects As ‘Hangers On’, PDP Calls APC Rude |The Source

By Akinwale Kasali

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  Delta State Chapter has labelled the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the State, as a party of rude, disrespectful, illiterate drifters.

The PDP laid emphasis on the statement of the APC’s Publicity Secretary, Sylvester Imonina, for describing distinguished Nigerian Governors who were invited to Commission projects in Delta State recently, as “Hangers on”.

In a statement by the Delta PDP Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, he lampooned  APC for labelling fellow Nigerians as ‘Outsiders’ and cautioned “the leadership of the APC to seriously evaluate the mental state, intelligence, and national patriotism of those they engage as spokespersons in the State, for their genocidal rhetoric, divide and rule ideology and their crass ignorance of democratic conventions which foster national unity, harmony and peaceful coexistence, as these are fast becoming the image and reputation portrayed of APC in Delta State.”

The statement reads thus: “Our attention has been drawn to a March 25th, 2021 press statement by the factional APC in the State, titled: “Inviting hangers-on from outside Delta State for projects commissioning is wasteful, APC tells Okowa”, signed by the self-styled Sylvester Imonina, Esq., Publicity Secretary, Delta APC Caretaker Committee and it is indeed quite unfortunate that the APC will describe distinguished Nigerians as “Hangers On” just to score cheap political points.

“For the records, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri  Tambuwal, the Executive Governor of Sokoto State, and His Excellency Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, were in Delta State on the invitation of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to Commission the ultra-modern Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers Secretariat, Asaba, the Igumbor-Otiku Secondary School, Boji-Boji Agbor and the 13.9km internal roads and drainages in Okpanam, an adjoining town within the State capital territory, respectively.

“A week earlier, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki had joined his brother and Delta State counterpart, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to commission the Otu-Jeremi-Okwagbe Road and the Effurun-Otor Bridge/Access Road.”

“By way of information to the ignorant APC Delta Publicist, here’s an abridged pedigree of these eminent Nigerians whom he has described as “Hangers On”.

“Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is a distinguished legal luminary, a member of the Nigerian Body of Benchers and a Life Bencher, he was a long-standing member of the Federal House of Representatives, where he rose to become the Distinguished Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2011-2015, before assuming office as the 18th Governor of Sokoto State in 2015 and getting re-elected for a second term in 2019, after a robust and quite impressive Presidential office bid.

“Governor Tambuwal, who has continued to be mentioned glowingly amongst the select names of potential Nigerian Presidential aspirants to unseat and sweep away the failed APC government at the centre in the next election cycle, is also the Chairman of the Forum of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors and this is not the first time he has been to Delta State to inaugurate a project, as Deltans will recall that the Sokoto State Governor was in Asaba in March 2020 to commission the 1.88 kilometers reconstructed Mariam Babangida Way in Asaba, Oshimili South Council and the 7.5 kilometers Ogwashi-Uku/Ubulu-Unor Road in Aniocha South Council Area of Delta State.

“Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle on the other hand has been a three terms member of the House of Representatives, from 2003-2011 and a multiple Commissioner in his State before becoming the duly elected 5th Executive Governor of Zamfara State in 2019.

“And need we talk about the exceptionally brilliant and globally recognized financial technocrat who has carved out a successful career in the finance industry, His Excellency, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, the distinguished Governor of Edo State, now serving his second term under the PDP Umbrella?

“Let’s just say that before becoming Governor, Godwin Obaseki had served as the Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team inaugurated by former Governor Adams Oshiomole in March 2009, and Ex Comrade Oshiomole’s glowing description of Governor Obaseki’s credentials and outstanding capacity are well known to one and all.

“He is a proud and certified alumnus of some of the finest academic institutions both in Nigeria and globally, including the great University of Ibadan, Columbia University, and Pace University in the United States of America, amongst others. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers, Nigeria, and an alumnus of the Lagos Business School Chief Executive Programme.

“Obaseki, who was nominated a Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT) by the World Economic Forum in 2001, also holds post-graduate degrees in both Finance and International Business and has served as an executive board member of several private companies.

“These distinguished Nigerians and leaders, by any stretch of the rational imagination, are the personalities who Sylvester Imonina, a kindergarten lawyer who can better be regarded as a “charge and bail’ lawyer when compared to Governor Tambuwal, a member of the body of Benchers and a Life Bencher, have described as “Hangers on” “Outsiders” and “political cronies”.

“This sadly is the murky level and reflection which Nigerian politics has deteriorated into, where rude, disrespectful, uncouth underachievers and seemingly educated illiterates, will hide behind the veneer of party position to bad mouth and talk down people who have made genuine, tremendous positive impacts on the lives of their people and contributed immensely to the unity and peaceful coexistence of the peoples of our Country.

“And by the way, we are also not surprised at the cheap, nauseating lie which Mr. Imonina had dropped by insinuating that, “the Governor of Rivers State refused to be part of the deceit of Delta State Government.” Apparently, Mr. Imonina is obviously not aware of the solid bond of friendship and brotherhood between Governor Nyesom Wike and Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa. He is also quite ignorant of the political mindset of Governor Wike, who has made it abundantly clear in all his speeches, that only PDP Governors are implementing and delivering projects in Nigeria.

“We are not surprised however at such brazen attempt to surreptitiously mislead people with blatant misinformation, after all, that is what you expect from a political party and its publicity secretary, who have allegedly been well known for gathering information from noisy beer parlours and the garrulous clusters of hangers-on at various Newspaper stands popularly called Free Readers Association.

“We are very much aware that APC Governors across the country also invite brother Governors from sister States to Commission projects in their respective States and we are even wondering now if the APC publicist would have described the Deputy Senate President or another APC Governor as “Hangers on” if they were invited to Commission projects in Delta State.

“Finally, and just in case the APC is not conversant with what political brotherhood and nation-building are all about, our position has always been that no price is too little or too much to pay in our collective effort to continue to sustain and consolidate the unity, peace and existential harmony of ensuring a Stronger Delta and united one Nigeria.

Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, Executive Governor of Zamfara State summed up what we mean, after he commissioned the newly constructed Igumbor-Otiku Secondary School, Boji-Boji, Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area as well as the network of internal township roads in Okpanam.

“In a statement by his Director-General, Media and Communication, Yusuf Gusau, Governor Matawalle commended the foresight of Governor Okowa for inviting him to carry out the exercise and noted that the move has demonstrated love and the spirit of brotherliness by the good people of Delta and that Nigerians of all extractions are intrinsically good.

“Governor Matawalle also said the invitation has demonstrated Governor Okowa’s remarkable sense of patriotism and genuine love for a more united Nigeria and described his mission in Delta State as a move to strengthen the bridge-building that leaders need to appreciate in furtherance of their rich history, cultures and social environment of the disparate entities that formed the Nigerian federation, saying, “our diverse history and culture is a source of our strength.”