Another Fulani Succeeding Buhari Not An Issue, Says Delta Commissioner

Omon-Julius Onabu

The possibility of President Muhammadu Buhari being succeeded in 2023 by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is not an issue to consider under the present political dispensation, Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu said yesterday.

According to him, the emergence of the former vice president as the presidential standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was a simply reflective of the wish of the party through a democratic process.

Aniagwu, who stated this while fielding questions from newsmen at a media briefing in Asaba, stressed the need for Nigerians to move away from ethnic, religious and other primordial sentiments in determining who should lead or hold elective office, so that the democratic culture could be entrenched.

In the same vein, Aniagwu faulted the claim that the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and some of his counterparts from the southern part of the country may have betrayed trust by not sticking with the decision by governors of southern states that they should work for shift of power from the north to the south in 2023.

He pointed out that there was really no concretised agreement to that effect among the governors of the south, noting that Okowa did not vote at the convention due to new Electoral Act, but only 25 PDP delegates from Delta State duly voted.

Although, Rivers State Governor, Nwesom Wike, emerged second during the exercise, the outcome showed that Abubakar enjoyed much wider nation-wide acceptance, he said, adding that money does not necessarily sway delegates at such election but relationships and loyalty were stronger, he said.

On the social media reported crack in relation between Okowa and former governor James Ibori, the information commissioner said such a rift only existed in the imagination of those peddling the rumour, because the governor was still enjoying a cordial relationship with Ibori who remains a respectable leader of the PDP.

Specifically, he said Okowa was not aware that Ibori was working against his (Okowa’s) interest by allegedly blocking him from becoming the running mate to Atiku.

Aniagwu said, “We are on course and I don’t think there is any problem between Governor Okowa and our leader, Chief James Ibori.

“Okowa has continued to show him (Ibori) respect and I have not seen Chief Ibori speak ill of Governor Okowa and of course knowing who Okowa is, he will never speak ill of anyone especially his leader.”

He warned those who may have been stoking the fire of division for reasons best known to them to desist forthwith, saying his boss (the governor) was too refined and of an impeccable integrity to send anyone to write or publish any derogatory material against Ibori.

Similarly, Aniagwu said it was mischievous of anybody to claim that Ibori was, “Okowa’s political godfather” since Okowa was Ibori’s contemporary and actually became involved in active politics as far back as 1991 even before Ibori ventured into active politics.”

On the persistent claims by the state APC governorship candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, that the Okowa administration has nothing to show for the over N700 billion that came to the state in seven years, Aniagwu advised the Deputy President of the Senate to get serious and tell the people of state what he planned to do for them if he became the governor, “instead of exposing his ignorance of simple statistics and failing woefully to get grip of the financial inflow into the state and how much was managed.”