Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, on Wednesday signed a pact with the Urhobos to ensure that Delta Central Senatorial District produce the next governor in 2023 after his second tenure in office.
The signing of the pact with all the traditional rulers of Urhobo land held at the Palace of the Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom, HRM Ogbon Ogoni-Oghoro in Olomu, Ughelli South Local Government Area.
Okowa and former Governor of the state, Chief James Ibori, stressed the need for the incumbent who is from the Delta North Senatorial District to complete two terms and then hand over power the Urhobos.
This, they said, was in line with the rotation principle of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
Okowa said, “Our next governor will come from Urhobo land after my tenure, in the spirit of equity.
“By God’s Grace, I will support the course of the Urhobos in producing the next governor after my tenure.
“God made it possible that our leader, Chief James Ibori, spent eight years in office.
“Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan also had eight years in office as our governor and by divine providence, I am the governor.
“Because of the roles you are playing as respected traditional rulers, the trend should continue.’’
The governor thanked the traditional rulers for contributing to the success story of his administration through advice and peaceful atmosphere enjoyed in their kingdoms.
He noted that the efforts and support had translated to a peaceful state, while assuring them that more projects would be executed in the state in the next four years.
“I am glad that I have the cooperation of Your Royal Majesties; through you, I have the cooperation of your subjects and I want to say thank you.
“You have always believed in the peace of this state; you have always believed in equity which means you want us to succeed as a people.
“The level of cooperation has been very high and that has built the confidence of our people; for the unity of our state, we need the cooperation of all our royal fathers,” he said.
Ibori said, “I am accompanying my governor to pay this courtesy call to the traditional rulers of Urhobo land for allowing us to campaign round Urhobo land.
“The Urhobos’ support for Okowa’s re-election should not be taken for granted; let us keep this commitment strong.
“We have to support him strongly because we will need the Anioma support in the next four years.
“Let us support him so that he can mobilise the Anioma people to support us in the next four years.”
He noted that the governor had done very well by spreading the dividends of democracy across the state and having genuine respect for traditional rulers.
The royal fathers prayed for the governor and asked God to grant him his desire for a second term in office.
‘’We are also praying to God for a peaceful elections in the state and the country at large,” they said (NAN)