By Eseoghene Emuke
The elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Senator Edwin Clark, said he is deeply impressed by the quality representation of the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, as a senator from Delta State.
Clark, a renowned Ijaw and Urhobo leader, also said he would overwhelmingly support the candidature of Senator Omo-Agege and the APC in the forthcoming governorship election in Delta State.
He emphatically stated that he would be casting his vote for the APC governorship candidate in the election to succeed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa I’m 2023.
Clark, who is also the convener and national leader of the influential Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) stated on Thursday when Omo-Agege led top chieftains of the APC from Delta including the current Minister of State for Labour, Olorogun Festus Keyamo, his running mate, Hon. Friday Osanebi and Director-General of the Senator Ovie Omo-Agege Campaign Organisation, Elder Godsday Orubebe to his Abuja home.
He said his endorsement of Omo-Agege as his preferred choice as Delta Governor was hinged on the APC governorship candidate’s capacity to turnaround the underdevelopment in the state.
“My son, you will be the governor (in 2023). Your father who is no longer with us will be proud and happy to see me, his brother working to make his son our governor. Authority belongs to God and I want to pray for you,” Chief Clark stated, adding that Senator Omo-Agege’s administration would massively transform the state within eight years.
Chief Clark disclosed that after seeing the massive pace of infrastructural and human capital development being executed by Senator Omo-Agege in his Delta Central Senatorial District, he had advised him to spread such historically significant goodies to other parts of the state, and that Senator Omo-Agege did not hesitate in accelerating the development of areas outside his constituency.
Clark insisted that he would vote for Omo-Agege against the opposing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even though he was a once a member of PDP.
“My vote is not because you are APC, but because you are the kind of governor I have been waiting for. A governor that will develop not only the whole of Delta, but Warri, which was the projected capital of Delta before it was changed. A governor that will not emerge by imposition. A governor that will serve the interests of the state and not of godfathers,” he said.
In his brief speech, Senator Omo-Agege stated that he, along with his running mate, Rt. Honourable Friday Osanebi and members of their gubernatorial campaign team were starting their first round of formal consultations with a visit to Chief Edwin Clark before they begin visits to various traditional rulers on Saturday.
Senator Omo-Agege said that his developmental impact through infrastructural projects, employment, humanitarian efforts and human capital development positively impacted every town and community in Delta Central and stressed that he is seeking an opportunity to raise Delta State to a level where its development can become easily comparable with that of Lagos, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and other leading states.
Omo-Agege lamented the deep deterioration of Warri City and infrastructural facilities across the state over the years, adding that great opportunities exist to boost tourism, road transport, education, employment and the internally-generated revenue profile of the oil-producing state.
“It is said that ‘by their fruits you shall know them’ but my achievements in Delta Central Senatorial District and beyond speak for themselves. Among others, we have done solar street lights, provision of transformers , e-libraries and numerous other projects and we have ensured the allocation of N600 million for the construction of students’ hostel accommodation in Ukwuani Local Government Area.
“Under the 2022 national budget alone, we have over 750 projects, in 2021, we had about 600 and in 2020, we had about 450 projects” stated Senator Omo-Agege while reeling out numerous developmental projects, including Federal Polytechnic, Nigerian Law School Campus and several other projects that he facilitated for Delta State within four years.
“The Warri that you grew up in, is dead and now in great need of massive urban renewal and God willing, it is one of the major assignments that our administration will focus on if we emerge as Governor and Deputy Governor of Delta State. Okerenkoko, Ode-Itsekiri and other places can be developed and beautified to accommodate five-star hotels and become huge revenue-yielding areas like Hawaii in the United States.
“We can become what Lagos became; why can’t we generate enough internally-generated revenue to power massive development,” he said.
Senator Omo-Agege was accompanied by his running mate, Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi; Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo; former Minister of the Niger Delta, and DG of the campaign organization, Elder Godsday Orubebe; state chairman of the party, Elder Omeni Sobotie; former Chairman of the National Social Insurance Trust Fund, Mrs. Ngozi Olejeme; his Chief of Staff, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Chief Paulinus Akpeki, amongst other party chieftains and heavy weights.
