2023: Avoid hate speech, Okowa urges support groups

Delta Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sen Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has urged youths and support groups of the party to shun hate speech and ensure that their utterances were unifying and not divisive ahead of the campaigns for the 2023 general elections.

Okowa made the call at the inauguration of the state chapter of the PDP New Generation held on Wednesday, in Asaba.

The inauguration with theme “Politics beyond today, securing our future” featured swearing -in of State Executives and Local Government Area Executives of the group.

The governor charged the youths to ensure that every votes in the state was mobilised for the Atiku-Okowa ticket as the only party fully prepared to reset the country and bring it back to working ways.

Represented by the Senior Political Adviser, Chief Funkekeme Solomon, the governor said youth development was one of the cardinal points of his administration.

He said, “As a support group, your first duty is to strengthen the party and the campaigns of the party because it is the party that is contesting elections and it is the party that must win.

“So you must develop your content. You need a good content to go far. I like to say that PDP in Delta State will harvest all votes available.

“Every Deltan is duty bound to harvest every vote for this ticket. We should be happy that for the first time, our leader is being elevated to the Vice President position; this is more important.

“There are several platforms in this state to create jobs for the youths such as Ministry of Youth Development, Ministry of Girl Child Empowerment and the Bureau for Job creations and Ministry of Women Affairs.

“All these Ministries put together have created over seven thousand jobs in this state. The Widows are having monthly alerts in every part of the state.

“These programmes in Delta State can be replicated at the Federal level with Sen. (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa as the Vice President of our dear country,”

He remarked that his administration had ensured ethnic harmony and peaceful co-existence in the state, adding that he would bring his wealth of experience in the state to bear on the country.

“We have developed platform for peace building in this state and the result of this, is the peace we enjoy in Delta. There is ethnic unity and all these can be replicated at the national level if we work hard enough to harvest votes for Atiku/Okowa ticket.

“If this is achieved, our country will be unified and peaceful and only the Atiku/Okowa’s candidacy have the experience that is proper for today’s Nigeria, given mismanagement of the APC government.

“So I urge your group to campaign with these issues and be rest assured that Delta is fully PDP. Work together with other support groups for the single goal of making PDP victorious at the center come 2023,” Okowa stated.

Keynote Speaker and State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, lauded the group for its efforts at creating a platform for youths and women to network and change the narrative of country.

He regretted that for decades, the youth and women have largely been onlookers and bystanders in the political affairs of the country.

According to him, the result is that they actively ceded the playing turf to the same old guards, octogenarians and septuagenarians who have literally lost both legs and limbs, the energy and vision to operate in the millennial age!

“As the count-down to the formal commencement of campaigns ahead of the 2023 general elections continues, the formation of the PDP New Generation, is apt and timely.

“No one should tell you that you are leaders of tomorrow because your future, your tomorrow is today, your future is NOW!

“You have to seize the moment now by getting actively engaged in the political processes that will ultimately shape and determine your destinies.”

He said the youths were a critical resource, especially in political conscientization and mobilsation and urged them to organize themselves as the PDP re-positions to regain power come 2023.

“As a group, the PDP New Generation has enormous powers in its hands. You also have great tools (social media) to deploy and mobilise Nigerian youths from all political leanings and biases towards our cause.

“Fortunately, unlike other political parties, the PDP has a platform that is all-inclusive and accommodates all shades of opinion.”

He said the Atiku-Okowa policy document, “My Covenant with Nigerians” has a robust message and agenda that resonates with Nigerians, it is a policy document that speaks to the issues that are most concerning to the average Nigerian.

“Your task is to get the message in this document, using the various tools at your disposal to every potential voter out there.

“It is this continued engagement and keen interrogation of the governance process that will ensure that those we helped to positions of authority will be responsible to us and guarantee the much-desired dividends of democracy.

“If you fail or refuse to stay engaged, politicians would be inclined to continue to kick the can down the road and leave you empty and hollow – until the next election circle where their promises would be regurgitated all over again,” Aniagwu stated.

Director General of the PDP New Generation, Abdullahi Mahmood expressed delight with the Delta Chapter for the successful inauguration of the group in the state.

He tasked the executives to promote and defend the party, adding that the group was committed to delivering five million votes to the party nationwide and tasked the state chapter to deliver not fewer than 136,000 votes to the party.

Welcoming guests earlier, State Coordinator of the group, Efe Ani, said Nigeria was considered a failed nation because of the untold hardship brought upon the citizenry by the APC led Federal Government.

He said with rising insecurity and failing economy of the nation, it had become imperative for Nigerians to rise up and rescue the nation.