CAIRO OJOUGBOH: A POLITICAL CHAMELEON
The recent laughable and farcical drama acted out by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh under the guise of decamping to the unstable opposition All Progressives Congress, APC in Delta State, was a comical spectacle that did not come to us as a surprise.
It is rather unfortunate that since Dr. Ojougboh lost out in his bid to become Governor of Delta State and indeed after his political miscalculation by opting not to contest for the Delta North Senatorial seat and possibly lay sympathetic claim to a two-term electoral concession for the Ika ethnic nationality, following the decision of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to vie for the governoship after a meritorious tenure in the Senate, Dr. Ojougboh has devised one devious plot after another in his futile attempts to discredit Governor Okowa and distract him from delivering good governance and prosperity to Deltans.
Dr. Ojougboh's manipulative tendencies came to a head, when he lost out once again in his bid to retain his position as the PDP South-South Zonal Chairman, after which he then bullishly, surreptitiously and arrogantly arogated to himself, the position of Deputy National Chairman of the PDP by teeming up with the disgraced and conniving camp of renegades, whose ultimate agenda was to wipe out PDP from the face of the earth and annihilate Africa's largest political party from the Nigerian political landscape.
Their hopes however suffered a crushing defeat when the Supreme Court declared Cairo and his gang of political brigands as "demonstrating an infantile desperation to lead the PDP by filing almost 10 different applications in various courts,” and thus sacked them from the positions they had dubiously clung on to and had previously invoked as authority to set up parallel structures of our dear party across Delta State in the unbridled hope that they would get victory at the Supreme Court.
The farce of decamping which was played out by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh had thus long been anticipated and factored into the dynamic calculations of Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but while not wishing to join issues with him, as a responsible political organization, we wish to however state categorically for record purposes and for the avoidance of doubt, that we find some of the allegations raised as reasons for his decamping as spurious, frivolous, unfounded, annoying and sadly disappointing especially coming from a politician of his now questionable political stature.
Put in its proper perspective, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh listed multiple sentimental and wishful falsehoods and mis-information to coax himself and his motely crowd of delusional acolytes and sympathisers, clamouring in their fools paradise that Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, will not get a second term come 2019, into the limbo of political fantasy and irrationality.
The glaring fact of positive appraisal by Deltans, our dear Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the Ekwueme of the Universe will commence and complete his mandatory second tenure as the Governor of Delta State from 2019. The massive and extra ordinary achievements accomplished with the very brilliant and articulate SMART Agenda, in virtually all sectors of Delta State, in spite of the crunching economic conditions he has faced since assuming office are outstanding and irrevocable testimonies to justify the yearnings and desire of Deltans for their darling Ekwueme to continue and consolidate on the good works he has started in the State.
A few examples will suffice and for starters we want to place it on record that the pathetic ignorance displayed by Dr. Ojougboh over the disbursement of the Paris Club refund from the Federal Government has not only been addressed comprehensively by the Delta State government, but has been corroborated by Local government officials, Pensioners, Contractors handling major infrastructural projects and a list of other key beneficiaries, who have all issued verifiable statements in major print, electronic and other responsible media platforms, confirming their receipt of the refund appropriation as detailed by the State government.
Apparently it seems difficult for Dr. Cairo Ojougboh to comprehend the clearly stated application of the bailout and Paris Club refunds. In that case he should feel free to contact Labour leaders in the State, we further advise Dr. Ojougboh to stop wallowing in the kind of ignorance unbecoming of the minimal credibility left in his fading political stature and stop embarassing himself with watery and simplistic arguments that do not dignify or edify him.
Again, we have said it for the umpteenth time that the harsh economic situation which Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and indeed the rest of the country embraced when he came into office in 2015, meant that a lot of brave and bold financial decisions had to be made to adjust to the crippling economic situation, but that despite this strategic re-positioning, Delta State has remained one of the very few States in the country to pay workers salaries regularly and has even gone ahead to plug loopholes, stem wastages and corrected systems and even tackled and arrested incidents of sabotage where they have reared their ugly heads in the last two years.
Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa's administration has never shied away from transparently informing citizens on all aspects of the management of their financial resources. On regular basis, he has fearlessly and honestly engaged citizens through town hall meetings, live radio and television programs and other interactive fora, to leverage with them on the financial situation of the State and the brave initiatives his administration has employed to address both the present and the future fortunes of the State.
This in fact accounts for the overwhelming support and understanding of our citizens and indeed their decision to invest their trust and confidence in the capacity, capabilities and the honest, transparent leadership of Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, as we navigate through current national economic challenges.
In addition to this very laudable achievement, the Delta State government has even in the face of recession, created over Forty Two Thousand direct and indirect jobs, through the YAGEP, STEP, PPSP, Micro Credit scheme and its Agricultural initiatives and collaboration with major establishments like the Central Bank amongst others.
Let us further place on record that Teachers are not being owed salaries in Delta State and even the Teachers Union has confirmed this unequivocally. Besides, the brief mis-understanding over the payment of Primary School Teachers was resolved amicably and the issue over whose responsibility it is to pay Primary School Teachers addressed to the satisfaction of all the parties. So we are at a loss as to why a so-called seasoned politician who has also served as law maker at the national level can and will display such crass ignorance over a matter that is even entrenched in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Needless to state how quite unfortunate such fabricated tissues of lies against the government and leadership of the party coming from someone who rode on the popularity and acceptability of our party to get to the National Assembly.
Attempting to further respond to the other abysmally defeatist excuses for decamping, posited by Dr. Ojougboh will only denigrate the fine art of constructive discourse since The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Delta State will not join Dr. Cairo Ojougboh in the mud he has now shamelessly sunk into by commiting his own political harakiri, as it is now clear to us that the perpetual sore loser is apparently on a vengeance mission.
The outbursts of exuberant euphoria which greeted his decision to exit from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by majority of the constituents in Ika South, not only by his own people, but indeed the entire Ika nation, was a clear and resounding testimony that the even his own kinsmen, who had endured his recalcitrance and political shenanigans with long suffering perseverance over the years, are now happy that they have finally got rid of this political pestilence that has afflicted them for so long.
The PDP is on the move once again and Dr. Cairo Ojougboh has now ceased to be a distraction we were compelled to manage in the past, in our march to consolidate our authority in Delta State and ultimately reclaim the Presidency come 2019.
Good bye Dr. Cairo Ojougboh. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Long live Delta PDP
Long live Delta State
Long live Nigeria
Signed
IFEANYI MICHAEL OSUOZA
(STATE PUBLICITY SECRETARY, PDP, DELTA STATE.)
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