The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, has opined that the choice of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state as the running mate to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar is a strategy for the people of the Niger Delta.
The leadership of the apex Ijaw Youth group urged aggrieved Niger Delta stakeholders to withdraw their criticisms of Okowa’s emergence as the running mate to Atiku.
The IYC stated this in a statement signed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by its President, Peter Timothy Igbifa.
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According to him: “The only best political position available for us in the Niger Delta now is the running mate and Okowa has been selected to represent the region, which could have been any other. If Okowa’s PDP wins, the Niger Delta will have the opportunity of occupying the position of the Vice-President again.
“The South already has two Presidential candidates from other political parties, but doesn’t have any other position bigger and better than a running mate in the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP). This region’s interest is paramount.
“Pulling Okowa down amounts to rejecting the only opportunity that is available in that political party for the region, especially as the PDP is the biggest Party in the region with huge followers.
“Therefore, the region should unite and queue behind him.”
He added: “We urge them to forgo their misgivings and support the governor in the overall political interest of the Niger Delta”,
Also Read: Running Mate: Atiku Made The Right Decision With Okowa – Secondus
Igbifa stated further: “Okowa did not make himself a running mate. The PDP and the presidential candidate, Atiku, chose him. The decision of the party is always supreme and it behooves on the Delta State Governor to accept it.
“Besides, it is the prerogative of the candidate to select his running mate and since he has chosen Okowa, the only thing expected of all stakeholders is to support him.
“It is high time the Niger Delta stopped the pulldown syndrome. They should emulate their northern counterparts, who despite unfavourable political decisions, support their own
