Traders in Delta State expressed their frustration as popular markets in the state capital were closed on Tuesday. The Ogbogonogo Market, a well-known market in Asaba, was shut down following a directive from Governor Ifeanyi Okowa due to the presidential campaign rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held that day. Several traders, including Charles Okonkwo, Jude Okeyebunor, and Kate Mordi, shared their grievances with our correspondent, highlighting the financial losses they incurred because of the event. They criticized the state government’s lack of sensitivity towards the welfare of its citizens, with Mordi stating, “Markets were shut down on Tuesday because of the party’s campaign, which is why Okowa did not declare a public holiday for civil servants. The workers are there to work for him, and he closed our only source of income. Don’t you know that there are people who go hungry if the market does not open for a day?”
During the rally at Stephen Keshi Stadium, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, clarified that the purpose of their visit to Delta was not to campaign but to express gratitude to the state. He remarked, “We are not in Delta State to campaign; we are in the state to show our gratitude. Since 1999, Delta has never failed our party; that is why I chose my running mate, Okowa, from here.” Atiku also addressed key issues in his policy document, emphasizing that education would be prioritized and assuring that there would be no more ASSU strikes if he were elected president. He criticized the current APC government for creating division in Nigeria and promised to focus on uniting the country, as well as addressing economic and security concerns.
In his remarks, Okowa, who is the party’s vice-presidential candidate, expressed gratitude to Atiku for selecting him as his running mate despite various challenges. Additionally, the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, welcomed the state secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nick Otunba, along with other defectors to the PDP during the rally.
Meanwhile, the PDP Campaign Council took the opportunity to mock the APC over the defection of its members in Delta State. In a statement released by spokesperson Kola Ologbondiyan, the council claimed that this trend indicated the collapse of the APC in both Delta State and the South-South region. Ologbondiyan stated, “The defection of the State Secretary of the fizzling and wobbling APC, Otunba Nick Ovuakporie, as well as a horde of other APC members to the PDP, signals the collapse of the APC in Delta State and other South-South states. This daily mass exit from the APC into the PDP, which is also being recorded in other parts of the country, shows that Nigerians, especially APC members, have come to the reality of the vacuity, inadequacies, and incompetence of the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the futility of his self-centered presidential ambition.”
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