As the 2023 general elections draw closer, the Young Progressives Party, on Sunday, kicked-off its official campaign for all party candidates, including its gubernatorial candidate, Comrade Sunny Ofehe for Delta State.
The meeting, which was held in Warri, was headed by the party’s Deputy Candidate, Barr Mrs Eloho Chalele Edafe, and its chairman, Comrade Preye Joseph.
It had the presence of Hon Lucky Ebunu, Delta State House of Assembly Candidate for Ukwuani constituency, and Eruse Godwin Edowor, candidate for Ethiope-East constituency.
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Also present were Palmer Israel, a Local Government member and Uwari Unit Leader, and Apostle Mike Ubebe Ph.D, YPP Local Government Officer, Warri South West.
Mrs Edefe, while addressing the crowd on the purpose of the gathering, said it was to announce the YPP to people who are tired of the ancient parties like the All Progressives Party, APC, and People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
Speaking on the party’s agenda tagged “Fix Delta,” the deputy governorship candidate explained it was a move towards the grassroots, which would equally include the youths.
She said:
“As youths gathering here, we have to have a common goal concerning our state, Delta State. It pains a lot because a lot of things happening in the state. I’ve been there; I’ve been in the know. I’ve been in the eye. I’ve travelled throughout some states. I think I’ve experienced what were experiencing in Delta State.
“Most times, I look at they youths in Delta State I feel pain. The desire of the youths have not been met in Delta State. What are the programmes available for the youths? They’ve been telling you skill acquisition. I ask myself a simple question. As a graduate, what will I benefit from skill acquisition?
“You go to the four walls of university, you graduate and at the end of the day, somebody will tell you that you should come for skill acquisition. The least they’ll give you as a lady is a sewing machine. Does that really meet your desire that made you to go to school? Or that made you become a graduate? Was that really what your parents desire for you before you went to the four walls of the university? That’s a question you ask yourselves.
” Fix Delta” agenda will provide skill acquisition programme for non-graduates and jobs for the graduates. There are jobs you can do as a civil servants at the end to the day you know that you have gratuity to fall back on.
“All of us can’t be tailors, hairdressers, or shoemakers. Why is crime rate high is because there is no job for the youth? If there are, I think the youths will be more initiative.
“The area of drug abuse. Then our roads are bad. The gubernatorial candidate has a lot of things for us. For twenty seven years he has been lived abroad, in Netherland. He has seen a lot and he’s interested in fixing Delta State.
‘So I want us to come together as youths. Let’s put our heads together and ensure that YPP goes far in Delta State.”
The party’s chairman, on his part, spoke about the “Fix Delta” initiative to alter the old form of governance.
He said:
” The issue on ground now, we are in election period. Well, we all know the nature of politics, both the one of our state. I keep telling people that there’s no way we will keep on doing the same thing and expect a different result. Look at the population of the state.
“The population of the youths are more than the adults. Our government is bad. I’m not afraid of anybody. I’m a partician politician. You might think that the angle we are coming from is very narrow, Rome was not built in a day. Look at when we started, from 2017 till date.
“And I believe it is time for us to take over Delta State. Delta State needs to be fixed in all sectors and that’s why the governorship candidate, with the team in conjunction with the party structure carefully themed the “Fix Delta” initiative.”
Ebubu, while speaking on the party’s agenda, revealed the need for Delta State to be fixed for the future generations to come.
He said:
” It is a good thing to fix Delta State because if we do not, our children will ask us questions.
“I was opportune to attend the presidential primary election. The roads were nothing to write home about. YPP is a party for the youths. We were told that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow. We are tired to that; we are leaders of today. Go home with fliers and preach YPP for the young people. I join this party when I discovered its ideology; ‘Service for the people.’ A real leader is to serve and no just lord yourself around everybody.”
The Ethiope-East House of Assembly candidate, Edowor, reminded the crowd of the party’s purpose while stating that it was not just a political party, but a ”paradigm shift.”
He said:
“We are not here for talk. We have a theme: ‘Fix Delta’ State. Sometimes, when we bring out some acronyms, is not just a mere word.
“We are not a political party, we are a movement. A political party can decide to do what they want to do and just go away for the purpose of winning elections. We are not like that. We are to champion a new thing in Delta State. This is a paradise shift.
“Since 1999, there are some who are still in power that have not changed anything and they don’t have the mindset to do so. And when they, they already have plans for their children.”
LG Officer Ubebe, who volunteered to join the movement said, his reason was that the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket, which he termed as an Islamic agenda, was “dangerous” one.
He said:
” I happen to have worked for some persons in the PDP, but for APC, I don’t like the name. My personal conviction for the party is that it has an Islamic agenda and is too dangerous for us. Right now, I want to begin to carry cards and begin to be involved like very seriously.”
On the side of the party’s membership card distribution, the YPP chairman assured that it would be available for all interested members.
Meanwhile, the convener of the gathering, Comrade Patrick Padiayefagha cautioned both old and new members against any form of opposition.
