By Austin Ogwuda
IMEGWU, Ex Speaker, Says Delta no longer one party State
Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Olisa Enebeli Imegwu, Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly between 2007 to 2011 was one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Delta State along with former Governor James Onanefe Ibori among others.
In this exclusive interview with The Town Hall he bared his mind on why he decided to dump the party, blaming the immediate past governor of the State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as the cause of the defection including Ibori who is merely there in body but the soul with another party.
He also maintained that Delta State is no longer a one-party State under the grip of PDP since 1999 as that jinx has been broken.
Town Hall :. Sir how come you dumped PDP the party you were a founding member in the state?
Imegwu: Like you likely observed, myself, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Senator Nwaoboshi, Ibori they call us the national conveners who formed the party.
Unfortunately when Ibori left everything went under as Okowa came on board. He relegated us to the background to the extent that those politicians I brought in as councillors were made to boss me.
It was indeed emotionally traumatic so at a point I said staying in PDP which Okowa is totally in charge, in control means that I will never move forward, why not go elsewhere.
And what was available was APC no other party.
The Town Hall: But given the fact that you weren’t an ordinary member but a founding father wouldn’t you be stayed like Ibori?
Imegwu: Hmmmn! In fact Ibori is in the same ship.
If you see the problem between Ibori and Okowa it was a battle royal.
At a point Ibori’s daughter barely won the nomination to become PDP candidate for the House of Reps.
At a point two of them ( Ibori and Okowa) were no longer seeing eye to eye.
So most of us that came along and formed the PDP we were just relegated.
Let me tell you Ibori is not in a better footing than most of us.
He is suffering his own emotion at his level as we are suffering our own emotion at our level.
Do you think Ibori is with the PDP?
Don’t you see how he is following Tinubu.
Don’t you think he has sympathy for APC and Tinubu. He has sympathy for Omo Agege for governor.
Sometimes you can leave physically out of the party, sometimes you can be in the party but you are working and your sympathy is somewhere because your party does not recognize your worth or your importance.
Certain persons will take decision right away to do what they want to do and move on while some people may
take their time.
So as I said, about Ibori he is in the same situation we are at his own level.
I told you the people I made councillors, my boys, my children were now made leaders over me in my Unit, in my Ward in my LGA not to talk about Ndokwa federal constituency so you can see my own situation. How and the way I react to move ahead may not be the way other people in similar situation will react.
Jinx broken….
But they are not happy and it showed in the last February 25 election for presidential election, for governorship election.
In Ndokwa East from 1999 to 2019 particularly 2015 to 2019 when APC was formed no opposition had made up to 5 per cent of overall votes cast or win a ward.
But in March 18 governorship election APC won 49 percent of the votes PDP won 51 percent; APC won 4 wards out of 10 wards in Ndokwa East.
Remember Okowa lost the Presidential election Labour Party won Delta State. Whether they even won his ward I don’t know.
So it is no longer a one party State.
If not for the money he spent because after that presidential election if you see what happened.
I have not seen in any State where civil servants would rise up openly opposing the governor of the State.
Something went wrong he should look inward to find out if he was crowned the “Road Master” and achiever why will he have such a difficulty in making PDP what it was adjudged to be a one party State.
APC won the two senatorial seats except one, the Delta North.
You think if Nwaoboshi was to be around PDP could have won? So the issue of one party system is gone, is vanished when you have an opposition party winning two out of three Senate seats in the State?
*Watch out for the concluding part of this interview