By Onome Oghenetega
The Delta State governorship candidate of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Dr. Goodnews Agbi, has picked Mr Anthony Bolaji Alabi as his running mate for the 2023 governorship election in the state.
Agbi said his choice of Alabi, a known lawyer in Nigeria, would give the NNPP the strong-footing it deserves to defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday, a copy of it made available to NIGER DELTA TODAY, Agbi said he is coming into the race alongside Alabi, to save the state from collapsing.
Alabi, according to the statement, hails from Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s town of Owa-Alero in Ika North East Local Government Area of the State.
Agbi’s governorship running mate was a member of the Defunct Grassroots Democratic Movement, GDM, 1998, from which he joined PDP in 1999.
Agbi said, “I have today unveiled Mr Anthony Bolaji Alabi as my running mate in the Delta State 2023 Governorship race under the platform of New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP.
“Alabi has been a well known politician from Owa-Alero in Ika North East of Delta State. He was a strong member of the Defunct Grassroots Democratic Movement, GDM, 1998, from there he moved to People Democratic Party in 1999. Recall that Alabi and I were the PDP Chieftains who were the plaintiffs in the historic and celebrated Ex-Convict case that started from High Court, Bwari, in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in 2004, where the Judge ruled that there was ‘Sentence but no Conviction’. That case moved to the Appeal Court to Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that the case be tried de novo. Anthony Alabi faithfully stood tenaciously until the case was tried again from the High Court, Wuse, to the Appeal and ended in Supreme Court. The case took years to prosecute without Alabi wavering or compromised.
“Alabi was among the great Deltans like Barrister Moses Odiri and Barrister Andrew Oru who suffered so much damage to their legal practice because of the ex convict case, and several other Deltans who believed at that time that Delta State people were not getting the dividends of democracy.
“Alabi and I are coming into the governorship race under the NNPP to change the State from the collapsing and debt-ridden state to that of a vibrant one amongst the comity of States. We will bring the State to its glory as the third richest State in Nigeria.
“We are determined to bring a change to Delta without being oblivious of the challenges ahead. We are aware your State money, your own very money has been stockpiled to prosecute their perpetuity in office through their surrogates, and partners in pillaging the resources of the State. We will use every democratic and legal means to bring heathy changes to the State affairs. With the support of the downtrodden Delta people, we shall change the NARRATIVES.”
