Ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial election in Delta State, renowned ljaw born environmentalist and leader, Engr. Messiah Olaye, has opined that Governor lfeanyi Okowa, is free to choose his successor.
Olaye made this call during a media parley in Warri on Monday.
He lamented that too many political stakeholders have expressed their views forgetting to phantom the fact that Governor Okowa has served two tenures meritoriously.
He further stated that by meeting the demands of Deltans, he is qualified to choose whoever succeeds him in Dennis Osadebey House come May 29th, 2023.
In his words: “Right from inception, all the past governors in Delta State strived to produce their successors, that of Governor Okowa should not be different because a man with such technical know-how to drive the SMART Agenda which culminated into the stronger Delta vision should not be dictated to on who becomes his successor on the altar of godfatherism.
“Nobody should dictate to Governor Okowa his successor or the Senatorial district the next governor should emerge from because he is at liberty to choose whoever he deems fit to hold forth for him to take Delta State to greater heights.
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“The issue of a successor is a very serious business, because a bad successor can make a mincemeat of the glowing legacies Okowa is laboring to build today. No reasonable governor will allow somebody to choose a successor for him.
“The view that no one or group of persons, no matter how highly placed or connected they may be, do not have the sole prerogative to dictate to any sitting governor who his successor should be, especially a person like Okowa who is a tested Political General with a very massive Political foot soldiers.”
Olaye insisted that godfatherism is counter productive in Nigeria’s political history stressing that, he doesn’t think Okowa, in his right senses, would allow anybody to handpick a successor for him.
“Okowa as a man of wisdom with a good depth of intellectualism, he should not play to the gallery of sycophants but he should rather stand his ground to do what is in the best interest for the state by choosing a candidate who can consolidate on his credible legacies.
“The idea of somebody trying to impose a successor on Governor Okowa is a joke taken too far because his political wealth of experience spans from the the grass root to the national level starting from the Council Chairman to a Member of the State Executive Council before going to Senate and now governor, Okowa is a godfather in his own right.
“If Governor Okowa caves into all these demands coming from high profile politicians by allowing himself to be arm twisted, brow beaten to take dictated order on who becomes his successor, he will live to regret it.
“There is need to allow Okowa to shop for a candidate who will take the reins of government with an assurance that the Stronger Delta vision which has come to stay will be implemented in the new phase of Delta come 2023,” Olaye added.
By Ebi Perekeme
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