60 Delta Royal Fathers Endorse Okowa for 2019
Over 60 recognised traditional rulers under the aegis of Delta North Traditional Rulers Forum (DNTF) have passed a vote of confidence on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and expressed their support for his 2019 second term bid.
The meeting of the royal fathers, held recently at the Palace of the Obi of Owa, HRM Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor II, came on the heels of a similar endorsement of Okowa by the ‘Delta PDP Mandate’.
The Delta PDP Mandate, at an earlier rally in Warri, declared Okowa as “sole governorship candidate” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019, stressing that aside his achievements so far as Governor, the unwritten power rotation principle operational in the state since 1999 clearly favoured him.
Meanwhile, Governor Okowa has said he was both humbled and excited the vote of confidence by the traditional rulers from his own senatorial district, saying this would encourage him to continue to solicit for peaceful coexistence among royal fathers in the central and south districts as peace remained the bedrock of his government.
Addressing the gathering at Owa-Oyibu, the governor attributed the success stories of his administration to the peaceful disposition of traditional rulers that has engendered an enabling environment for governance, saying no meaningful development could take place in an atmosphere of rancour.
Okowa said, “I sincerely, appreciate you (the traditional rulers) for the vote of confidence passed on me. If vote of confidence comes from those who own the land, we must appreci- ate it; and, most importantly, I thank the traditional rulers for providing the enabling environment for my government to execute its programmes. A lot is being done and more will still be done. We will achieve more as a united people. As a government, we will try as much as possible to remain focused and my respect for the traditional rulers will never wane.
“This is an important meeting and I am very excited with the level of activities of our traditional rulers. When we share ideas, we are better positioned in our commitment to give our people the best.
“If the traditional rulers fail to cooperate with the government, that government is bound to have crises. We have had town hall meetings where we discussed issues affecting us, we shall continue with local government areas we are yet to visit from next week.