Groups task voters on 2019 presidential, Delta governorship polls
• Edo electoral body assures of hitch-free council election
TWO groups have enjoined voters to go for patriotic vibrant youths and successful business candidates at next year’s presidential and Delta State governorship e lec t ions .
One of the groups, Coalition of Professionals for Good Governance in Delta (Youth for Governor 2 0 1 9 ) , said that “after over a month of rigorous screening some aspirants for next year’s governorship election in Delta so as to get a young technocrat who has the ability to revive the fortunes of the state,” it has narrowed down its search to five names.
In a statement entitled, “Delta 2019: Dawn of A New Era” and signed by its secretary, Mr. Magnus Okwudibie, the coalition said: “For over a month now, a group of pro- fessionals have been poring over the credentials of so many aspirants for the position of the Delta State governor come 2019. Some aspirants have displayed some seriousness in pursuit of their aspiration, while others, we observed were just on an attention-seeking m i s s ion .
“Our mission is not just to get a youth who can wrest power from this present government which in our opinion, has failed the people of the state. We are searching for the youth who is also a technocrat and with the drive to take Delta from the doldrums it has been since 1999, to greater heights and we are happy that we have eventually found that person who stood out among the pack.”
Aspirants such as Hon. Victor Ochei, Chief Osiobe Okotie, Comrade Sunny Ofehe and Mr. Sheyi Money among many others had their aspirations under scrutiny according to Okwudibie, “and at the end, we got who we feel is right for Delta State at this stage of our national life. Let me add here that this does not mean all the aspirants who made the final cut are not equally good, but we are looking for just one person.” The aspirants who made the final cut according to Okwudibie are Hon. Victor Ochei, Mr. Sheyi Money, Chief Osiobe Okotie, Mr. Magnus Atoka and Itse Imeni.
He added: “We are in the final stage of the search and we have started the thorough screening of the five aspirants and we assure Deltans that we will pick the one with the right credentials, personae and charisma and we call on all to give him all the sup- port he can get when the time comes.”
On its part, the House to House to Atiku support campagn group (A2H2) over the weekend visited market women who it urged to come out for 2019. The group’s national coordinator and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, retired Colonel (Mrs.) Chichi Obi and other officials went round as the group distributed flyers to the market women in Lagos. According to her, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is a detiribalised Nigerian and successful business mogul, employer of labour and lover of education. She called on Nigerians to support him to make the country a better place for us and our children.
She told journalists that “with all happening in our nation today, the only per- son who has heart for the people is Atiku.” Obi who is based in London said she came back to the country to show her support for Atiku.
She added: “I am not against a younger president but with all the decadence on ground, we need someone who can stand the bad eggs in the nation. Nigeria has become a country where investors do not want to come while the ones here are leaving the country because of security. Atiku Abubakar remains the best alternative for 2019.”
Meanwhile, the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) has expressed its preparedness to conduct a hitch-free council election.
It also disclosed that no fewer than six parties have so far shown interest to participate in the election scheduled for March 3, 2018.
Its Director Media and Communication, Mr. Tony Alile, gave the hint yesterday in Benin City during the commission’s screening of cand idates . He listed the parties vying for chairmanship and councillorship positions to include the All Progressives Congress (APC), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Democratic Alternative (DA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Green Party of Nigeria and the National Conscience Party (NCP).