- Pledges To Reclaim Stolen Mandate
By Pleasure Onohwakpo
As party stalwarts continue to trade blame over their abysmal performance at the just concluded Governorship election, the All Progressives Congress, APC has dismissed report published by an online newspaper (not The New Diplomat) that the Director-General of the Delta State Gubernatorial Campaign Council, Elder Godsday Orubebe and others were responsible for the party’s poor performance.
The State chapter of the party condemned in strong terms, such report, describing it as fallacious, baseless and jaundiced, and sponsored by the already- jittery Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Reacting to the purported report, the Delta State APC Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, debunked the allegation that the DG played an ethnic card in the selection of membership of the Campaign Council.
The Publicity Secretary stated as untrue the alleged discrimination in the distribution of fund for campaign by Elder Orubebe.
But Onojeghuo, rather, heaped the defeat blame on the Delta State government and the PDP over its orchestrated rigging machinery that was perfectly executed with the
connivance of corrupt Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC officials.
He further accused the duo of the PDP and corrupt INEC’s officials of being complicit in abandoning the use of the innovative Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in over 20 local government areas of the State as mandated by both the 2022 electoral law and INEC approved guidelines.
Onojeghue, however, described the publication as entirely fallacious, baseless and a figment of the writer’s own jaundiced imagination, devoid of any journalistic candour that has now become the hallmark which the online newspaper is noted for.
“There is nothing like a crisis in the State Gubernatorial Campaign Council headed by the former Minister, Elder Godsday Orubebe, and at no time was there any attempt to sideline directors of a particular ethnic stock as erroneously claimed by the online newspaper.
“There was synergy and a harmonious working relationship between the party, the Campaign Council and the candidate of the party throughout the campaign period leading to the time of the elections and funds were made readily available to every director in charge of the various directorates.
“The root cause of the Party’s defeat at the governorship election in Delta State was as a result of the widespread systematic and well orchestrated rigging conducted by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in connivance with corrupt officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that witnessed the boycotting of the use of the innovative Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in over 20 local government areas of the State as mandated by both the 2022 electoral law and INEC approved guidelines”, the statement added.
While chiding the reporter for failing to do proper investigation before maliciously publishing his mischievous report, Onojeghuo noted that the selection of the membership of the Campaign Council was a product of due diligence, adding that competence and ability to perform specific tasks were considered.
According to him, the party zeroed on Elder Godsday Orubebe for the leadership of the Campaign Council, in consideration of his antecedent and pedigree as a respectable elder statesman and a former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, adding that his competence, capacity and character were not in doubt.
“The membership of the Campaign Council was a product of due diligence and exhaustive consideration by the leadership of the party taking into account the competency and ability of the those that were used to populate the directorates and committees.
“The leadership of the party zeroed in on Elder Godsday Orubebe to head the Campaign Council as a result of his long political pedigree, having served as a former State Chairman of a political Party and Minister of the Federal Republic, his competence and capacity were never in doubt, and the same goes for others who were appointed as directors”, he disclosed.
Onojeghuo also denied the allegations of mismanagement and misappropriation of elections campaign funds levelled against the former Minister and other directors of the campaign council.
“There is no truth to that allegations as funds were diligently applied to every issue it was appropriated for.
“At the flag off the presidential campaign by the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, funds were adequately provided for the Campaign Council and same was used to massively mobilize party supporters to the venue of the rally at Warri Stadium which was filled to capacity”, the Publicity Secretary stated.
Onojeghue further accused Gov. Okowa and the PDP of being behind the spurious published report, adding that they have become jittery even in victory, and are currently embarking on such publications to cause disaffection and distraction among the APC leadership which is perfecting effort to reclaim its stolen mandate.
“Deltans cannot wait to experience the enthronement of the change they massively voted for on March 18”, Onojeghuo said.
