Atiku became the next option after Osinbajo lost the ticket – Ex-APC Writer

Former Secretary of All Progressives Congress in Delta State, Chief Nick Ovuakporie, who recently defected to the People’s Democratic Party, tells DELE OGUNYEMI the reason for his action

What exactly motivated you to defect to the People’s Democratic Party?

My defection to the PDP was out of principle. It was for patriotic reasons, not monetary interests. And if you have a copy of my resignation letter, you will vividly see some of the reasons I gave for throwing in the towel. You will remember there was a presidential primaries in the APC. And I have always made good governance my number one priority in politics; I’m not here just for the sake of politics. I have always taken Nigeria first before monetary interests. That has been my guiding principle in making decisions. And that is why in my party at the time, the APC, my presidential candidate was Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And why did I choose him? I saw in him a man of capacity, with the necessary potential to run Nigeria. Now, that was on the level of intra-party politics.

After going through that phase, I saw compelling reasons why I should continue to put Nigeria first above all other interests and saw that if we were to redefine the Nigeria of our dream, the combination of His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and the Turakin Adamawa, His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is the next bigger thing that would enable that vision of a greater Nigeria, which was the same thing that drove me to support Prof. Yemi Osinbajo before I lost the APC primaries.

As Secretary of the Delta State APC, you severely criticized and accused Governor Okowa of debauchery and indebtedness of the state, but today you said that you support him as Vice President of Nigeria. What has changed?

For me, as a former Secretary of State, while in the APC, I did not join the bandwagon of unwarranted attacks on the person of His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State and by the grace of God, the next Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, because I found nothing wrong with his government’s policies. So I never joined the cart and I never will join the cart. I know the difficulties of the board. Management is not easy. So we can’t play a game of opposition by throwing tantrums at the man in the saddle of leadership just because you want to take control. I do not play such politics, because that is politics of bitterness. And that’s not how I was. Mind you, some of the issues you alluded to were also based primarily on propaganda. That’s the word, I think, that best describes the outbursts of anger my former party, APC, incited against the ruling PDP in Delta State. And I urge Deltans not to fall for their game, that’s just propaganda.

Didn’t you lose some of your followers by dumping the APC for the PDP?

My decision to join the PDP was based on patriotism, not money. This is mainly due to the deep-rooted marginalization. Let me take the opportunity to quote a portion of my letter of resignation. I said in the letter that “as Secretary of State it behooves me to represent and protect the political and class economic interests of the Isoko people, the Itsekiri and the Ijaw of the Delta South Senatorial District, whose interests I have sworn to protect at all times. to protect. , before fulfilling my duties as set out in the APC Constitution.”

The other reasons for my resignation include the willful denial of appointments to deserving Isoko sons and daughters in the APC-led administration; zero impact of the APC administration on the infrastructural development projects in the Delta South Senatorial District, particularly in Isoko Natie; the deliberate hijacking of Isoko slots by foreign invaders in the recently awarded NNPC pipeline surveillance contract, portraying the Isoko people as a weak and conquered ethnic nationality, with no qualified or able man or woman to perform such surveillance contract to trade.

The main reason I left the APC was not for money reasons. It was a decision based on patriotism for the Isoko nation. And I have the support of my people.

How do you rate the PDP’s chances in Delta in the upcoming general election?

Very smart because the PDP has actually done a really good job, especially this governor. In fact, one of the things that attracted me to the PDP, besides the patriotic reasons I mentioned earlier, is the blueprint of legacy projects from His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. Indeed, the man is a development czar. Nowadays there is hardly a single road in the capital that is not paved. There are legacy projects all over the state these days. No wonder the incoming Vice President and incoming President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has visited the state capital to usher in groundbreaking projects.

Sincerely, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa’s finesse in executing development projects has always led me to admire him, even when I was in the APC.

Do you really believe that the PDP’s presidential candidate Atiku can defeat the APC, which has the power of the incumbent?

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Turakin Adamawa and former vice president of this country, is the type of president Nigeria needs right now. He has what it takes to save the country from the current challenges. He is the man with the required knowledge to put the economy in order as he was the head of the Economic Council when he was Vice President of Nigeria. He knows what to do. He is not one to come in to learn on the job. He is already well rested and his chances of winning are very high. All parts of the country are currently clamoring for a complete and holistic transformation of the Nigerian state. And the man to beat is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

There is the issue of fairness, with many saying that another northern Fulani should not succeed the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who is a northern Fulani. Don’t you think this will count for something and determine the outcome of the election?

That does not bother me, because the most important thing is good governance and the competence issue. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is a Nigerian. The Nigerian constitution leaves no room for stereotyped personality for the presidency and nothing beats Fulani man, Isoko man, Calabar man. A Nigerian is a Nigerian. With what the constitution stipulates on who can become president of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has the required qualifications to become president of the country. The issue of opposition sentiment or propaganda must be thrown overboard. Nigeria should not get bogged down in these unnecessary sentiments and propaganda. They are mere distractions. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is uniquely qualified to reshape this country and rescue it from its current comatose state.

When Nigerians are tired of suffering; if Nigerians are tired of buying fuel at N400/N500 per litre, they should vote for the PDP as the PDP is the only option to save Nigeria from the current bad state it is in. My message to Nigerians is to vote in His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for President and His Excellency Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, as Vice President, will come on February 25, 2023. Moreover, Nigerians must rise up bravely and protect their voices.