Delta guber hopeful canvasses peace between Ijaw, Urhobo ahead of 2023 poll

TRADITIONAL Prime Minister of Tuomo Kingdom in Burutu Council of Delta State, Chief Mike Loyibo, has sued for peace between the Ijaw and Urhobo ethnic nationalities of Delta South and Central senatorial districts in their quest for the 2023 governorship position.

Loyibo, who welcomed Delta Central 2023, DC- 23, led by Chief Ighoyota Amori to his country home in Tuomo, at the weekend, said as the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in the state, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has a major role to play in the 2023 succession plan.

Insisting that the DC- 23 has a valid argument that an Urhobo should succeed Okowa, he told the Urhobo to be patient with the governor to give the headway on where the next governor should come from.

“The DC- 23 has a valid argument, but the Ijaw governorship quest is rooted in ever y Ijaw man. There is only one Shepherd and the Governor is the current Shepherd of the PDP in Delta State.

“I am a follower and believer of Governor Okowa. The governor has told me that he is still praying. So, I appeal to all of us to be patient and wait for the outcome of his prayers, because I believe that the prayer will be answered,” he said.

Loyibo donated N20 million to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s charity and entertained about 3,000 Ijaw people in respect of the DC- 23 and cutting of birthday cake to mark Okowa’s 62nd birthday.

National Chairman of DC23, Amori, urged the Ijaw nation to shelve their governorship ambition and allow the Urhobo go for the position based on power rotation among the three senatorial districts of the state.