PROTOCOL Gentlemen of the Press, It is my pleasure once again to welcome you all to this Press Conference, the first in the Year 2023, and to wish you all a Happy New Year. This Press Conference is called to intimate you about the positive developments that the Peoples Democratic Party's Campaign Committee has had so far. As you are already aware, the party about two months ago successfully visited all the 270 Wards in this State in our endeavour to reach the grassroots with our message of Rescue, Reset and Rebuild Nigeria as well as advancing Delta. And I dare to say that the messages were well-delivered to our teeming supporters who now look up earnestly to vote for the PDP and all its candidates from the Presidential, Senate, House of Representatives; to the Governorship and House of Assembly candidates. Shortly after, the Campaign Committee again embarked on the Local Government campaigns traversing the Local Government Areas. So far, a total of 23 Local Government Areas of the State have been reached with the message of hope for Nigeria and Delta State. The remaining two Local Government Areas will be covered in due course before long. We give praise, glory, and thanks to God Almighty whose guidance and protection remained with us all through the onerous, almost daily travels of crisscrossing the Local Government Areas. We also thank you, Gentlemen of the Press, for partnering with us through your various reportage and creating awareness of our campaign events in your various media organs of radio, television, newspaper, and the online genres of news dissemination. We greatly appreciate your partnership on your call to duty. It will interest you to know that the joy displayed by party faithful, members, and supporters on each of our campaign visits was not just overwhelming but palpable; it was an atmosphere of peace and warm reception all the way with a massive turnout of people at the campaign grounds. The Vice-Presidential Candidate of our party and Governor of Delta State, Senator, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, our leader, was with us all through the Local Government Area campaigns, during which the people showed love for the PDP and expressed great enthusiasm and strong assurance and conviction to vote for all the candidates of the PDP. The people indeed showed great interest and were excited in the fact that a Deltan, Governor Okowa, emerging as Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will be to the advantage of Delta State, and they assured that Deltans will not allow this opportunity to slip past. Thus, they expressed determination to ensure that every vote counts for the PDP. Party chieftains in each Local Government displayed uncommon loyalty and support for the PDP and went the extra mile to net in decampees from other political parties to the PDP. Their devotion and dedication to the cause of the PDP clearly confirmed the PDP position that Delta is synonymous with PDP. As we salute PDP faithful and supporters in Delta State, it is important to call their attention to the key issues raised by our leader, Governor, and Vice-Presidential candidate, Senator, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, especially as Nigeria contends with unabating insecurity, rising hunger, and poverty, an economy plagued with huge debts, prostrate education, acutely exemplified by long closure of tertiary institutions, the abysmal state of Federal roads across the country, and the scuttling of the structure of unity of this nation. Never has Nigeria been so disunited and fractured. The APC-led Federal Government has done more to divide Nigerians than unite us in addition to the biting poverty. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, over 133 million Nigerians are poverty-stricken. Like the PDP Vice-Presidential candidate said, “APC has plunged Nigeria and its citizens into severe hardship from which the country needs to be rescued, reset, and rebuilt from the ashes of the APC misrule. And for that to happen, we of the Delta campaign Council join him in strongly calling on all Nigerians, nay all Deltans to Vote Atiku Abubakar for President and Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori for Governor of Delta State. Indeed, Atiku Abubakar truly illustrates the model example of the President that Nigeria needs now; he is detribalized, cosmopolitan, a unifying figure, a successful businessman, and a pan-Nigerian. As former Vice-President, his management of the economy was exceptionally good, far better than what is currently experienced under this crushing APC-led Federal Government and Nigerians stand to gain from his wealth of experience. Of course, as his running mate, our leader, Governor Okowa also possesses the requisite knowledge and experience to help him with the task of building the Nigeria of our dreams. The Delta PDP Campaign Committee has said times without numbers why the APC-led Federal Government MUST go. APC has deceived Nigerians enough with its maladministration of the country in all areas. Therefore, Nigerians have rejected as unthoughtful the decision to field "Alhaji" Bola Tinubu, whose physical ability and mental state of mind is in question; the one on whose neck hangs the yoke of unanswered questions about his age, parentage, State of origin and the well-known baggage of his drug baron status remains an insult to the intelligence and sensibilities of Nigerians. Bola Tinubu on account of this lacks all indices of a fit and proper person to be voted as President of Nigeria. To vote in such a man is to turn Nigeria into an illicit drug headquarters of the world. God forbid. His candidacy is indefensible, by any standard. This is why Nigerians should embrace and vote for PDP’s Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar who is in a better stead to rescue and restore Nigeria from the suffocating grip of the APC. Let me conclude this by repeating the question raised by Atiku to Nigerians – “Can APC recover Nigeria from itself?” Of course, the answer is NO, because Voting for the APC in the next election is a vote for a continuation of the current state of gloom, and Nigerians cannot afford to make that mistake. it is important to re-emphasize the following truths: (a). PDP built this country from 1999 to 2015 when APC deceptively took over power. (b). APC destroyed Nigeria from 2015 to 2023 and therefore has no moral basis to ask for another tenure from Nigerians. (c). Only the PDP can rescue this country and reset it on the path of abundance, stability, and prosperity. We urge all Deltans to also vote massively for our Governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Elder Sheriff Francis Oborevwori - a grassroots politician, who dwells with the people and knows where the shoe is pinching them. His M.O.R.E Agenda has a comprehensive and well-articulated package for Meaningful Development, Opportunities for All, Realistic Reforms, and Enhanced Peace and Security for Delta State. This is our charge to Deltans and Nigerians in general, Vote for PDP candidates all-the-way It is also important for us to inform the generality of Deltans and persons living in Delta State that Tuesday, January 24, 2023 has been declared PDP Day. It is the day the National Campaign entourage of the PDP led by the Presidential Candidate and the National Chairman, as well as the National campaign leaders of the party will hit Delta State, and it will hold inside the Main Bowl of the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Nnebisi Road, Asaba. The time is 9 a.m. Already, mobilization effort has gone ahead in all the nooks and crannies of the State to get faithful members and supporters of the party to massively be in attendance at the rally that promises to be the Mother of all rallies. …
