Augoye rejects result, says I am still in race
BY MOYINOLUWA BAMIDELE-LUCAS
Three front runners have emerged from among the leading five aspirants from Delta Central Senatorial District vying to take over from Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on May 29, 2023.
The Pruning/Screening Committee of gubernatorial aspirants setup by the Delta Central 2023 (DC-23) lobby group submitted its final report on Sunday with David Edevbie, Kenneth Gbagi and Sheriff Oborevwori making the list.
This was made public by Sunday Apah, Assistant National Publicity Secretary of the DC-23 on Sunday.
According to Apah, the committee which was inaugurated on October 25, 2021, has Nyerhovwo Tonukari as chairman while Sunny Awhefeada was the secretary. Other members of the committee are Arthur Akpowowo, Augustina Erah, Felix Anirah, Tony Omonemu, Christopher Ekabor, Anthony Akpomiemie, Andy Osawota, Raymond Edijala, Godfrey Enita, Florence Jakpovi and Rarute Mgbeke.
The committee had on December 13, 2021 submitted its first report with Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, James Augoye, David Edevbie, Kenneth Gbagi and Sheriff Oborevwori making the list out of about 15 initial aspirants.
The committee was, however, directed to further prune down the number to three as contained in its terms of reference.
It was specifically asked to look into their acceptability across the state, accessibility, integrity/credibility, capability, development strategy and Pan-Delta disposition.
Awhefeada, who read the report on behalf of the committee as its secretary, said after series of meetings and screening exercises within the given time, they recommended the following persons on alphabetical order of their surnames; David Edevbie, Kenneth Gbagi and Sheriff Oborevwori.
According to the report, the selection of the three aspirants out of the five took place on Sunday morning on February 6, 2022, and that the evaluation of each aspirant was based on criteria previously agreed upon by all members of the screening committee.
Responding, the National Chairman of DC-23, Ighoyota Amori, commended the committee for painstakingly carrying out the assignment.
Amori appealed to those who didn’t make the list of three to accept the committee’s report and recommendation in good faith, as only one person can be governor at a time.
Amori assured that DC-23 leadership would at all times uphold fairness and transparency in the discharge of its responsibilities without fear or favour.
After the adoption of the report, the DC-23 called on all political leaders and stakeholders across the state to queue behind any of the three aspirants as the decision to pick one among the three now rests on Deltans.
But in a quick response to the development, immediate past Commissioner of Works, James Augoye, rejected the final list of the DC-23 screening panel, saying he is still very much in the race for the 2023 governorship election of the state.
Addressing newsmen in Asaba, Augoye, said he subjected himself to the DC-23 exercise to fulfill all righteousness, stressing that the outcome of the political pressure group’s screening exercise was not final.
He insisted that he has the mandate of Deltans to represent them as Governor come 2023, and that throwing in the towel at any point when the PDP was yet to conduct primaries would mean letting Deltans down.
He argued that candidates for elective positions in Nigeria are determined by political parties and not political pressure groups. He, therefore, urged his teeming followers in the state, across the federation and in the diaspora to remain calm, focused and stay the course.
Those who attended the meeting of the DC-23 include Ighoyota Amori, Solomon Ighrakpata, Suru Salami, Olorogun Bernard Edewor, Chris Oharisi, Arthur Akpowowo, Taleb Tebite, Godwin Atose, Sunday Apah, Emmanuel Ighomena, and Philomena Ededey, among others.
