Okowa makes case for internal democracy in PDP, gets party’s vote of confidence

 Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has canvassed strongly for the principle of internal democracy to be entrenched and strengthened in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of the inherent potential of making the party to take its pride of place in the nation's polity.

Speaking at a Delta State PDP Stakeholders meeting in Asaba, on Thursday, (03/12/2015), with the theme “Strengthening of the PDP For Improved Performance in Delta State”, the Governor whose leadership prowess and administration’s policies were resoundingly endorsed through a vote of confidence, at the event, stated that the era where party leadership revolves round individuals are over in the PDP.

“I will continue to counsel and push for internal democracy to stay because it was that process that threw me up and made it possible for me to emerge and gave me the acceptability level that made it possible for us to win convincingly in Delta State. This will start with our process that we take into the election of those who will run our various wards and local government party Committees” Governor Okowa said.

He continued: “We must find ways of helping to fund the party even in the face of very challenging times and without actually becoming the leader of the party. When people call me the leader of the party, I do not believe it because, I am just Mr. Governor; the party belongs to a collective leadership; there is no one person that can claim leadership of any party and at the ward level, at the local government level, at the state level and even at the national level there must be collective leadership if the party is to grow.

“The fact that Commissioners, House of Assembly members, Council Chairmen and others fund the party at the ward and local government levels, which you expect them to do, does not accord them the role of the leader of the party where they must continue to dictate to them. We will do the best we can as a state but that does not make us leaders, superior to other leaders because once you assume that position, you find that you want to dictate to the party; so, I want to plead with us that we should realize that when we do things freely and willingly all you desire will be achieved, the party will respect you even more when you do not want to tell them you are their leader, they will eventually in time recognize you as one of their great leaders and I hope that we have learnt lessons from it today.”

He also, decried the sidelining of women from positions, pointing out that a situation where women will work hard during electioneering period only to get little after the victory was not good enough. “We are trying to be very inclusive in our choice of appointments, women work very hard during elections but, when it comes to appointments, men take pride of place, we must accommodate more women in governance,” Okowa contended.

Besides, he said, “We must continue to recognise our youths and our women, there is the need to give them more position positions in the party other than Woman Leader and Youth Leader; I promise to appoint women into positions but, women should be supportive of themselves,” he added.

The Governor who used the occasion to reel out his achievements within the past six months which included job creation, construction of roads, among others, assured oil producing communities that the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) must execute a major project in each of the ethnic nationalities in the 2016 fiscal year.

Chairman of the PDP in the South South zone, Dr Cairo Ojougbo, the state chairman of the PDP, Chief Edwin Uzor at the occasion expressed confidence in the ability of the party to grow stronger as “it has realised the mistakes that led to its fall, especially at the centre,” while Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, Chief Benjamin Elue, Dr. (Mrs) Esther Uduehi, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, Hon. Joyce Overa, among others who spoke at the occasion lauded the leadership style of Governor Okowa which has strengthened the PDP in Delta State.

High point of the ceremony was the passing of vote of confidence on Governor Okowa and asking him not to be discouraged by the financial situation of Nigeria’s economy in carrying out his programmes.